In Single Words
by wildcat7898
Summary: Spock and Uhura go undercover on a Romulan colony world when a Federation operative is reported missing.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **In Single Words

**Author: **Wildcat

**Series: **TOS/TNG

**Rating: **T

**Codes: **S/U

**Summary**: Spock and Uhura go undercover on a Romulan colony world when a Federation operative is reported missing.

**Disclaimer**: Paramount owns Spock and Uhura. I have just borrowed them for a while, and I will not profit from this.

This story is part of my S/U Trekiverse. It takes place between The Secret Gate and A Roll of the Dice.

Thanks to Jungle Kitty for beta reading this story years ago. It took a long time, but I finally polished it up and posted it.

Feedback is desired.

_All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. – Sir Winston Churchill_

**In Single Words, Chapter One**

They walked together down the narrow cobblestone lane, moving to the shoulder for the occasional ground car or horse-drawn cart, or at least what passed on this planet for a horse-drawn cart. She felt his eyes on her, and she knew that he was studying the exquisite point of her ear and the delicate upsweep of her eyebrow. Her clothes were made of a rough, homespun cloth, but she felt beautiful and exotic. Elegant. Aristocratic.

And more than a little self-conscious.

When he narrowly avoided stepping in a rut, she finally couldn't stand it any longer. "Spock, I'd hate to report back to Captain Kirk and tell him that our mission failed because you couldn't stop staring at me."

"Forgive me, Nyota, but your appearance is rather unsettling."

She reached up to run her finger from the point on top of her ear down to the dainty chain that dangled from her lobe. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you don't like it. At least a little."

"I will admit that it is much more aesthetically pleasing on you than it was on Captain Kirk when we confiscated the cloaking device."

She chuckled. "Heavens, I certainly hope so."

They both glanced up at the sound of a horse-drawn cart creaking over the rise of the hill, and she quickly checked to make sure that the frayed cloth bag holding her equipment and forged travel records was tucked securely under her arm. Switching from Standard to the southern dialect of Colonial Romulan, she spoke to the elderly man who drove the cart when he passed.

"Ejonel'ru tra."

The man gave her an odd look and flicked the reins to urge the beast to move faster. When he was out of earshot, Spock leaned close and murmured, "You just told him that his shoes are happy."

"Damn it! I meant to tell him pleasant day. At least I got it partially right. I could have told him that his shoes were sad." She shook her head. "I'm worried that I won't be able to pull this off. I know that one of the reasons Starfleet chose me for this mission is that I'm quick to pick up new languages, but I really need to be immersed in it for a while before I'm comfortable with it. I could handle Romulan, and even Colonial Romulan, but this dialect is new to me."

"Which is not surprising, given that this dialect is new to everyone in the Federation. I have confidence that you will quickly become fluent. In the meantime, we must remain faithful to our story of having recently immigrated to this area, and others will be tolerant of our mispronunciations and limited vocabulary. At any rate, I have found that one can often gain more information by listening than by speaking."

"True. Even if we don't speak it well, we should be able to understand it without any problems. I have high hopes for these new universal translators, although I'm going to have to take mine out soon and check it. It's making my ear ache a little."

"Perhaps it was not refitted properly after Dr. McCoy operated. Between the two of us, we should be able to adjust it."

As they walked over the hill, Uhura saw another cart approaching. Deciding that she would remain silent this time, she instead looked beyond the cart to a palatial estate that could be glimpsed in the distance. She pointed at it with a question in her eyes, and Spock nodded. So. That was their destination. She had been excited when she learned of their assignment — few in the Federation knew anything about the inner workings of Romulan society, and even fewer had ever been witness to it — but now she felt butterflies begin to fidget deep in her stomach.

Their assignment was simple. A highly trained Starfleet operative, Elena Markovitch, had been undercover on this remote Romulan colony world for almost three years. Her mission had been to purchase land in this area and establish herself as someone with new money and ambitions to be accepted by those with old money. If it meant that she needed to fund the political aspirations of the Talan family, which owned the largest estate in the area but happened to be cash poor, well, then all the more convenient for everyone, right? And she had been very successful. She had infiltrated the highest echelons of Romulan society and was learning the sort of secrets that were discussed only in dark corners, whispered gossip that came from tongues loosened by alcohol, or romantic entanglements, or both.

Markovitch had sent reports via subspace squirts without ever missing a communication window, once every Romulan week until they had abruptly stopped seven weeks ago. Since then, nothing. Had her communications equipment failed? If so, Uhura could fix that. Was her mission compromised? If so, they were to find her and get her out. But if something more sinister had happened to her... Well, she was valuable to the Federation, and the Federation needed to know what had happened to their investment.

She and Spock were to find a way to stay on or near the Talan estate, not as members of the upper class but as common workers who belonged equally in the house and the field, and who could find reasons to visit the neighboring estates without raising any suspicions. There was a huge gulf on this planet between the haves and the have-nots, and no one in the position to cause trouble would remember or even notice a couple of have-nots. It was the perfect disguise.

The man passed, and when Uhura was sure he couldn't hear her, she said, "Let's rehearse our backstory."

"Very well. Your name is Ota and mine is Tayok. We are natives of Teret, which is on the southern shore of Olanda. Olanda has been subject to a severe drought, and this has caused a mass exodus as people search for employment. Most are traveling north, but we chose to cross the sea and move inland to the south so the competition would not be so great."

"Do you think that we should be open about the fact that we're married?"

"It would be logical because it would increase the odds of our being employed by the same source."

"Good point. We probably shouldn't admit that we're newlyweds, though. People would remember that if they found out, and we don't want to be memorable."

"I agree. I do not anticipate that the subject will be raised, but if it is, we will tell them that we have been married for twenty-two years."

Uhura did some quick math. "I like it. That's how long we've known each other."

"Yes. It will be easy for us to remember."

"It will be easy for me to remember, you mean. Do we have any children?" she asked.

"Their existence would complicate our story, so it would be better if we did not."

"That sounds good. I know that this is a dangerous assignment, but I'm enjoying it. You and I don't get to do this sort of thing together very often."

"I must admit that I am finding this assignment rather enjoyable, myself," he said. "We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that the risk is small, however. We have successfully completed the first stage by making it here undetected and finding a place to hide our shuttlecraft, but once we determine what has happened to Markovitch, we must be able to return to it and depart. It will be a tremendous challenge."

"But one that we're more than capable of meeting."

"Agreed."

A ground car could be heard approaching from behind. They both fell silent and ducked their heads when it passed so that their faces could not easily be seen. Soon, they would reach their destination, and they would have to begin formulating a plan for finding out what had happened to Markovitch.

…..

Spock followed the field overseer, nodding occasionally at the man's discourse while he studied his surroundings. The property was large, but not so large that the neighboring properties would be out of reach. He could even see another rooftop over the orchards to the west. This was good. Until they could find an excuse to borrow transportation, he and Nyota would have to rely on footpower to investigate.

To the east were fields with row after row of the cash crops that were so important to the Romulan Empire. Although it was not visible from here, he knew that he would find the same to the north, where a field of quadrotriticale was bisected by the curving lane that had brought him and Nyota here.

He and the overseer were walking south, and it was immediately clear that this was the center of operations. Through the doors of large barns, he could glimpse well-kept equipment, on which the owners of the estate had obviously lavished more funds and attention than were devoted to the people who kept the machines running. He reminded himself that this was a feudal society, and the workers, while reasonably intelligent and for the most part healthy, did not question their lot in life. So it must be for him and Nyota while they were here.

The overseer stepped into one of the barns, and Spock quickly glanced at the house before following. He could not see through the windows from here, but he knew that Nyota was being taken through the same sort of introduction in the house. She had been hired to work in the kitchen, and he was concerned. Obviously, she would not be familiar with the dishes she would be expected to prepare, but she was resourceful. He must trust her to find a way.

The man stopped at a mechanized cart and began to explain how it operated, so Spock forced his attention back to the matter at hand. He had been assigned to work in the orchard, and his task would be to fill the cart with fruit and send it back to the barn, where the fruit would be inspected. If he picked fruit that was not ripe, it would be noted in his records. If he allowed fruit to become overripe, it would be noted in his records, as well. He nodded with the appropriate degree of gravity when the overseer informed him of this, but he knew that a mindless task such as this would not be difficult.

He started the cart as directed and steered it out of the barn toward the orchard. He was expected to become productive immediately, so he headed toward several workers who were already up in the trees, and before long he was picking the fruit as if he had done it all of his life.

…..

Walking along the front of the rowhouses, Uhura counted the doors twice to be sure that she had found the right one, but she was still glad to find Spock already there when she entered. He was stretched out on his back on the floor. She collapsed onto her own pallet and draped her arm across her forehead. She had no idea if the adjoining apartments were occupied, so she kept her voice low in case someone was there.

"Whew!" she said. "When they told me that I was going to be sleeping on the floor in this shack, I couldn't believe it. It feels pretty good now, though. Who ever thought that cutting up vegetables for ten straight hours would be so exhausting?"

"Indeed. I have a new appreciation for orchard workers. My back is quite stiff from reaching over my head all day, and the spines on the fruit have caused countless small punctures on my hands despite the gloves I was wearing."

"Oh, great. With my luck, tomorrow I'll have to peel all of that fruit. I was surprised that we found jobs so easily, but now I know why. They work us so hard and pay us so little that they don't lose anything by hiring us." She rolled onto her side. "Were you able to learn anything?"

"Not a great deal. According to the overseer, estates that have been in their respective families for generations border this farm. I cannot say whether he meant it literally or if it was a generalization. The workers in the orchard had nothing to add. Did you have more success?"

"I'm not sure. I overheard two of the women who work in the kitchen gossiping about something that took place at about the same time Markovitch went silent. There was a big party at one of the nearby houses, and evidently someone caught 'that senator from Romulus' canoodling with 'that new woman.'"

"Canoodling?"

"Having a romantic rendezvous."

"Ah. That does sound promising. Markovitch could certainly qualify as a new woman, and it's reasonable that she would target someone of importance from the home planet. Did they supply any names or locations?"

"No. I moved close in hopes of hearing more or even joining the conversation, but the head cook caught them loafing and scolded them. They shut up and got back to work. I'll try again tomorrow."

"Very good. In the meantime, I believe that our time would be well spent exploring the area. It will be beneficial if we already know where the neighboring farms are situated when we start reconstructing Markovitch's actions."

She nodded, so he stood and moved to the door. Opening it just a crack, he peered out and motioned to her. They slipped out the door and closed it quietly, and then jogged to the orchard where they would be hidden by the shadows. It would be a long night.

**End chapter one**


	2. Chapter 2

**In Single Words, Chapter Two**

Spock looked down from the tree and found Nyota standing beneath him holding a large basket. As he descended the ladder, he noticed anew her upswept eyebrows and pointed ears. He had been aware of her beauty from the very first moment he met her those many years ago, and he had never grown so complacent that he took that trait for granted. However, he found that he was looking at her in a new light now. It actually made him slightly uncomfortable, for he could not shake the vague impression that he was being unfaithful to her when he was with her. It was all quite illogical.

But quite fascinating, too.

He moved close and murmured, "I did not expect to see you out here."

"I grabbed a basket and left the kitchen like I knew what I was doing. I figured that if someone did question me, I could pretend that I had misunderstood my instructions." She wrinkled her nose. "It wouldn't be far from the truth."

"It is a welcome respite, regardless." He took a cloth from his back pocket and used it to wipe his face and the front of his shirt. "This fruit is rather juicy, and I cannot avoid getting it all over myself."

She grinned. "I found out where Markovitch lives, or at least where she was living at one time."

"Very good."

She started picking thoughtfully through the fruit and transferring some of it to her basket. "This morning I was talking to one of the cooks about how we're new to the area, and she said that I should be grateful we got to stay together. She then volunteered that about two years ago, she and her husband were separated when he was loaned out to another farm. The farm had just changed hands, and the new owner was having a hard time getting things to run smoothly. He stayed there for almost six months until everything was straightened out."

"Were you able to ascertain which farm it was?"

"Yes. It's just on the other side of the house we can see from here. And I wanted to be sure that she was talking about Markovitch, so I asked her for a name. She answered that it was Rilena."

"Markovitch's alias."

"Right."

He noticed that two of the other workers had stopped what they were doing to watch curiously. "We will discuss this later."

Following his line of vision, she clearly understood that they were being watched. She nodded and started back toward the house, so he climbed the ladder and resumed working.

…..

"Can you lean over my shoulder and hold the light higher? My hand is shadowing what I need to see."

Uhura elbowed her way past the shrub and leaned as far as she could without falling on him. "Is this better?"

"Yes."

They were both silent while he worked on the lock. These windows didn't look particularly secure, and she knew that one of those big rocks along the driveway would take care of matters quickly. They had to be careful, however, to leave no evidence of their break-in. If Markovitch was in trouble, they didn't want to compound matters by drawing attention to her house. Uhura covered a yawn while Spock continued to fiddle with the lock.

"There," he said.

He flipped the latch and raised the window, motioning for her to turn off the light and move back. After a few moments of intent listening, he waved her close again.

"This portion of the house is clear," he said. "You go in first, but do not advance until I am with you."

She nodded and let him help her through the window. When he had climbed through, they crept into the center of the room to orient themselves.

"This must be the parlor, or whatever you'd call it here." She ran her hand along the back of a tall, elaborate chair. "This is beautiful. And look at that rug. It looks handmade. I'll bet it cost a fortune."

"No doubt it did. She had to convince everyone of her wealth. I am certain that a reproduction would have been spotted immediately." He pointed toward a long hallway in the back. "This portion of the house is clearly reserved for entertaining, so perhaps we will find her living quarters back there."

She followed him as he went to the wall and began to slink alongside it. This part of the house was utterly dark, but they couldn't risk turning on the flashlight until they were sure they were alone. They hurried through a large patch of moonlight that shone through a window, and they started down the hall. Holding one hand out so she wouldn't run into him if he stopped, she prayed that there wasn't any furniture in their way.

Gradually, she could detect faint light at the end of the hall, and she realized that it was coming from an open door. Spock peered carefully around the edge, then grasped her arm and pulled her close. "This is a bedroom," he whispered into her ear. "Stay here until I confirm that it is unoccupied."

As she waited, her eyes adjusted more to the dark, and she realized that what she had thought was a hallway was actually a display room. Large glass cases contained armored uniforms, banners, and all sorts of primitive weapons. Shelves had row after row of books and small knick-knacks. She'd give anything to be able to study all of this with the lights on.

Spock leaned out the door. "It is clear," he said in a normal voice.

"Did you see all of that stuff out there?" Uhura asked. "How much of it do you think she acquired, and how much do you think came with the house? It would take a lifetime to get all of that unless you were really throwing around the money."

"Perhaps we can ask her when we find her."

Uhura turned on the flashlight and shone it on a large bureau. Picking up an expensive-looking silver-handled hairbrush, she noticed that it left a very clear pattern in the dust. She carefully put it back exactly where she had found it. "I'd say that it's been a while since anyone was here."

Spock opened a closet door, and Uhura could see that there was a large void right in the middle. "It appears that something was once hanging here that is no longer hanging here," he said.

"Do you think that she packed in a hurry?"

"Perhaps."

Uhura walked into the adjoining bath and began looking in the cabinets and drawers. Pitching her voice so Spock could hear her, she said, "This is really strange. There are some things here that I would take with me if I were going somewhere, and other things missing that she probably did take with her. I don't see a toothbrush, but here are some earrings that look like Regulan gemstones, just carelessly left on the counter."

He appeared in the doorway. "It would certainly reinforce the theory that she packed in a hurry, especially if her destination was a place in which she would not want anyone to notice her."

"Maybe you're right. I certainly wouldn't wear jewels like this if I were walking around on the street."

They both left the bathroom, and Uhura began rifling through the bureau. "It's the same story here. All of these drawers are full except for conspicuous empty spots. I sure do wish we could find that communication device. If she had to leave it, it would explain why we haven't heard from her for so long."

Suddenly, Spock pulled her close and took the flashlight from her, turning it off in the same motion. She knew immediately that he had heard something. She waited a few agonizingly long moments until she heard the footsteps herself. Spock drew her back into the closet and carefully closed the door.

"Anybody here?" asked a gruff voice from the hallway.

She held her breath, and she thought that the beating of her heart must surely be audible to the man. She was certain that Spock could hear it.

At the sound of a click, artificial light suddenly spilled through the cracks at the edges of the closet door, but two seconds later, it turned dark just as abruptly. The footsteps receded and were followed by the sound of a door closing. Spock opened the closet and rushed to the window.

Unable to make herself move quite yet, Uhura stayed in the closet until he returned.

"The man went into a rowhouse in the back, and I detected other signs of occupation. I would deduce that while the farm is still in operation, the mistress of the house is gone."

"I guess that we need to go, too."

"Yes. Except for locating the communication device, which I suspect is no longer here, we have accomplished what we came here to do. And you need to get some sleep."

She smiled sheepishly. "I didn't think that you saw me yawning."

"I did not need to. I can tell by looking at you that you are tired. It will do neither of us any good if you become too fatigued to function. We will return to our room and sleep."

"Oh, joy," she said. "Three whole hours of sleep."

"It is better than no hours of sleep."

"True."

She followed him to the window, and soon they were on their way.

…..

The next morning, Spock arrived at the farm that belonged to Markovitch—Rilena, he reminded himself—as if he had every reason to be there. He had observed that his supervisor took a long break every afternoon, and he had decided that this would be his best opportunity to find out why Rilena's house was deserted.

He spotted the man who had almost caught them in the house, and he approached without hesitation. "Greetings," he said in passable Romulan.

The man replied in kind. "Greetings. May I assist you?"

"My name is Tayok. I understand that this farm is hiring workers."

The man rubbed his chin ruefully. "I don't know where you heard that. We aren't hiring. As a matter of fact, we might have to let some workers go, so my advice to you is to find a job as quickly as you can. You might have some competition if you wait too long."

"I was told that all of the farms in this area are solvent. Am I incorrect?"

"We're solvent." Spock did not reply, so the man finally added, "I just don't know how long that will last."

Spock frowned. "My cousin told me that the Lady Rilena was very successful here. Are you implying that she has mismanaged the farm?"

The man looked over his shoulder nervously, as if he was afraid that Rilena would hear him. "No, no. It's not like that at all. She has a very good business sense. It's just that she's gone away for a while, and I don't know how long I can keep the farm running without her."

Spock knew that the overseer was completely capable of running the farm without her, but not without her money.

"Did she say how long she would be gone?" he asked.

"No. We didn't talk long. She was in a hurry."

"Was something wrong?"

The man shrugged. "Who could tell? The mistress comes from fine breeding. She would not reveal her feelings to me."

Spock nodded. "I see. Thank you for your time."

…..

Looking up from where she was washing a platter that was too large for the sonic cleaner, Uhura saw the man she'd been watching for standing in the dining room with a list in his hand. She turned off the water and dried the platter with the nearest towel. Hopefully, the food that was still stuck to it wasn't too obvious. She'd asked around until she learned who was in charge of organizing social events, figuring that if anyone knew what had happened to Markovitch, it would be him, and if she took the time to wash the platter properly, he might leave and she would have missed her chance.

Sure enough, he turned and started out of the room, so she rushed up behind him and dropped the platter.

"Oh, no!" she cried, kneeling down to pick up the pieces.

As she had hoped, he came back and stood over her. "Foolish woman!" he said. "Look what you have done."

"I'm so sorry!" Swallowing her pride, she feigned tears. "The mistress will fire me. I need this job so badly, and I've been trying to do well. Now no one will want me!" She pouted and leaned forward just enough to emphasize her cleavage. She felt slightly ashamed for resorting to this, but if it worked, it worked.

The man softened and knelt next to her. Taking her chin in his hand, he turned her face up to his.

"Do not despair. It can be replaced. I will not tell anyone."

She gathered up all of the pieces in the towel and allowed him to help her to stand.

"Thank you," she said. "You're too kind."

He stroked her arm before releasing her, and she had to work hard to keep revulsion from showing on her face.

"It is my pleasure," he said. "I'm always glad to help a beautiful woman."

Spotting her opening, she took a deep breath and saucily said, "From what I've heard, you help beautiful women quite often." She hadn't heard anything of the sort, but judging by his attitude toward her, she figured it was a pretty safe bet that she was right.

A sly smile crept across his face. "So. You're not as meek as you act. All the better. But you have me at a disadvantage. What have you heard, pretty one?"

She batted her eyelashes and turned slightly away. Speaking over her shoulder, she said, "Perhaps your 'work' doesn't stop when the party is over. I have heard that the new woman, Rilena, is particularly generous with her favors."

"Her? She had no time for anyone like me. I was not far enough advanced on the social ladder."

Noticing that he had used the past tense, she leaned close and whispered conspiratorially. "Too bad you aren't a senator."

His eyes narrowed. "Pardek, bah. A pompous fool. I don't know what she saw in him."

"I heard that she ran off with him."

She was watching carefully for his reaction, and she was surprised to see confusion cross his face.

"Pardek? No, I believe not. Pardek is still staying at the estate of his friend, Brenis, but Rilena has been gone for several months."

"Where did she go?"

"No one knows. She simply vanished one day." He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I am tired of talking about Rilena. Perhaps if we get to know one another, you will learn that my taste does not always run toward the fine ladies."

She pulled away and regarded him with shock. "Why, sir, I am a married woman."

Not waiting for his response, she whirled and returned to the kitchen.

…..

The next night, Uhura rested her head on Spock's chest and listened to the sounds around them. She could hear the occasional bump or muffled conversation from the rooms on either side of theirs, but oddly, their setting seemed very isolated. The survival of her ancestors had depended on constant contact with the rest of the group, and the survival of his ancestors had probably been no different. Maybe it was a universal coping mechanism that one could still find intimacy even when the conditions didn't really provide for it.

She rubbed his chest while she listened to him talk.

"I spoke with the field hands today," he said, "and they told me that they saw an expensive vehicle with government emblems and blackened windows go to the Brenis estate where Pardek is staying, and then go to Markovitch's house before heading toward town. The rumors range from its having carried important guests to having carried the praetor himself. I think it more likely that the authorities were taking away Markovitch."

"Do you think that Pardek gave her up?"

"I cannot say with certainty, but yes, I do."

"Me, too. The scuttlebutt doesn't indicate that they ran away together, but Pardek has to be involved somehow. So, if they aren't together, that's the only logical conclusion."

He put his hand over hers. "Nyota, as apprehensive as I am about risking separation, I believe that I have learned all that I can learn here. Tomorrow I will go to the Brenis estate and seek employment. It would be best if we could do it together, but at the very least, I should go ahead and perhaps you can join me later."

She propped herself up on his chest so she could look at his face. "I agree. I don't want to split up, either, but maybe this will actually work out better. There seems to be more information in the house than in the field, and I've found a few people who will talk to me. I'll stay here, at least for a few more days."

He nodded, so she kissed him and murmured, "I guess we'd better take advantage of the time we have."

He put his arms around her and rolled her onto her back, and she thought again of her ancestors. Privacy had been a foreign concept to them, but the species hadn't died out so obviously they had managed. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the feeling of being alone despite the nearness of the people on the other side of the walls.

**End chapter two**


	3. Chapter 3

**In Single Words, Chapter Three**

Spock sat at a heavy desk and pretended to labor over the long columns of numbers before him. The previous bookkeeper had allowed many inaccuracies to enter the ledger over a period of five years, and Spock knew that as long as the accounts remained out of balance, he would have a reason to sit in this room at the front of the house where he could watch the activity of the family and the guests. So, he deliberately inserted the occasional error so that he would be required to start at the beginning again. He was careful to keep his errors small and infrequent, however. He did not want his employment to be terminated as it had been for his predecessor.

As he worked, he listened to the voices coming from the back of the house in the hope that he would hear one very particular voice. He had returned to the Talan estate every night for the past four nights, and last night he and Nyota had decided that it was time for her to join him. It had been difficult to ask questions without giving himself away, but he had finally learned that Pardek was no longer a guest here. A large social event was being planned, however, and he had obtained a guest list under the guise of planning the expenses. Pardek's name was on it. Rilena's was not. The party would take place in two days, and he wanted Nyota to be here for it. He had spoken with the house manager, and the man had told him to have Nyota come to the back door this morning and he would consider hiring her. After all, there was a great deal to be done to prepare for the biggest social event of the season.

Ah. There she was. Spock could not make out the details of the conversation, but it was over quickly. He did not know if that was good or if that was bad. Footsteps approached from the back of the house, so he looked down and feigned interest in the books.

The footsteps stopped in the doorway, so he finally glanced up. Nyota smiled at him.

"Hello, Tayok," she said.

"Greetings, Ota. Am I correct in assuming that you are employed here?"

"I sure am." She moved closer to the desk and lowered her voice. "I got a little worried when they started asking questions about my travel records, but I managed to deflect their suspicion." She looked back at the sound of someone calling her name. "Boy, they're not wasting a minute in putting me to work. I'll talk to you later."

He nodded with satisfaction as she hurried away. Their investigation had been moving slowly during the seven days they had been here, but they had made progress. He had confidence that they were on the correct path, and soon they would know exactly what had happened to Rilena.

…..

The next morning, Uhura was seated at the kitchen table with three other women. Her coworkers were deftly coring and seeding some kind of small fruit, but the peel was tough and the fruit was squishy, and Uhura was making a mess. She discreetly pushed a gooey little pile of pulp into the bigger pile of pulp that was on the side of her cutting board, and took another fruit out of the basket.

The head cook came out of the pantry with a bag of flour and headed toward the high counter on the other side of the kitchen. When she spotted what Uhura was doing, however, she changed direction.

"You there!" she bellowed, pointing at Uhura.

"Yes, ma'am?" Uhura said meekly.

The woman stopped behind her and picked up one of the few fruits Uhura had managed to clean. "How can we stuff these with nuts if they fall apart as soon as we touch them? They're ruined!" She picked up the bowl and dumped the contents into the trash. "You ruin another one, and you're fired."

"Yes, ma'am," said Uhura again. She smiled encouragingly at the woman, who watched her with narrowed eyes before finally continuing over to the high counter and taking a large bowl from the shelf above. Uhura squared her shoulders and put her knife on top of the fruit, but as soon as she pressed down, the fruit squirted off the table, rolled across the floor, and stopped near the head cook's feet.

Holding her breath, Uhura waited to see if the woman noticed it, but she was measuring flour into the bowl and didn't look away. Uhura exhaled and put another fruit on her cutting board, but she brought the knife down too hard again, and this time when it rolled across the floor it came to rest directly beside the cook's left foot. The woman shifted her weight and stepped on it.

She lifted her foot with disgust and immediately turned toward the women at the table. "Who did this?"

Uhura's shoulders sagged, and she had just opened her mouth to confess when the woman next to her said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, it was me. I think that I must need a sharper knife."

"Well, all right." The cook looked suspiciously at Uhura for a long moment, but then returned to her task. "Get another knife out of the drawer and don't let it happen again," she said with her back to them.

The woman darted from her seat and pretended to take something from a drawer. When she had reseated herself, Uhura leaned close to her and whispered, "Thank you."

"It is not a problem," the woman whispered back. "These fruits are cheap and we have so many that they will rot before we can use them. Cook just likes to scare us."

"Well, she's certainly good at it."

"She should be. She practices all of the time." The woman put a piece of fruit on Uhura's cutting board and took the knife from her. Reaching over, she turned the fruit onto its side and poked gently on the top with the pointed end of the knife. "Do it like this. As soon as the seed starts to come out of the bottom, twist the knife sharply and push it the rest of the way out."

The woman placed the seeded fruit in Uhura's bowl and watched while she gave it a try. The seed didn't come out as cleanly as it had for the woman, but she hadn't ruined the fruit, either, so this was a big improvement.

She smiled. "That's so much better. Thank you again. I appreciate the help."

The woman smiled back. "It is nothing. We must all band together against the tyrant of the kitchen. By the way, I am Nalla."

"I'm Ota. It's good to meet you."

"It is good to meet you, too," said Nalla. "That's Sira and Joleni across the table."

The two women on the other side of the table smiled and nodded, but the cook yelled, "Stop talking and get back to work!"

"Yes, ma'am!" said Uhura and Nalla in unison.

They shared one last conspiratorial smile, and then returned to their work.

…..

The party was in full swing, and Uhura rushed into the kitchen to retrieve more food. She was glad to see that Spock was just placing the last few items on the platter. When he had showed up in the kitchen ready to help, he had been told in no uncertain terms that he would not be paid for his efforts, but he also had not been told to leave, thank heavens. She had envisioned a night of observing the guests and discussing them with Spock, but at this rate, she wasn't going to be much help. They had kept her running since the night began.

"Boy, these people know how to eat," she whispered. "I don't know how much longer this food is going to last."

"I predict that their appetites will diminish soon, and they will turn their attention to the alcohol."

"Oh, believe me. The alcohol is already getting plenty of attention."

"That is good. Their tongues will be loose. Have you been able to discern which man is Pardek?"

"Not yet. I keep trying to get beyond the dining room, but I've been too busy."

The head cook looked over from where she stood in front of the cooktop. "You!" she shouted to be heard over the din of loud voices and clanging pots. "Quit dawdling!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Uhura.

Spock handed her the plate and walked to the door, holding it open while she hurried back out. There were people scattered throughout the house and the garden, and she had to find a reason to go further. She didn't want to have to drop another plate, but...

Her eye fell on a man in the next room who was walking around with a decanter, looking for glasses to refill. That's what she needed to do. Spock could do it, too. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching and dumped the hors d'oeuvres into a decorative bowl on the table. It obviously wasn't intended to hold food. She hoped it wouldn't poison anybody.

She scurried back into the kitchen, and Spock looked up expectantly. "Did you find him?" he asked.

"No, not yet, but I think I know a better way to look for him. As long as we're working on the food, we'll be stuck in the dining room and the kitchen. I saw someone walking around refilling glasses. We'd have the run of the whole house if we did that."

"An excellent suggestion."

"I'll have to find a reason to take over his job."

"Perhaps we can tell him that I am here to replace him. I doubt that he will object to being given the night off."

"That should do it."

She discreetly put the tray on the floor and used her foot to slide it under a massive cutting block so no one would notice that she wasn't refilling it, and they left the room.

…..

"...but Senator, surely you cannot expect the Cardassians to agree."

Ah. Finally. Spock had entered the parlor to observe a gathering near the fireplace, but he had instead overheard a snippet of conversation from the study. He edged closer to the study door while he pretended to search for empty glasses in the parlor.

A second voice replied, "But you are wrong, my friend. Continued hostilities are costly, and a war is even more expensive. Peace is always more practical."

Spock turned his head just enough to see that there were two men alone in the study. One of them was much too young to be a senator, but the other was gray-haired and somewhat portly, just the sort of man who would be viewed as someone of importance.

The younger man shook his head and backed toward the door, obviously uncomfortable with the discussion. "I do not agree, Senator Pardek, but of course I defer to your wisdom. I hope that you will enjoy the evening."

"Thank you," replied the senator. "It is my hope that you will enjoy the evening, as well."

Spock watched the younger man leave, and then casually entered the study with his bottle at the ready.

"Excuse me, sir," he said. "Would you care for more ale?"

"You must have overheard. What do you think of my proposal?"

Spock could not help but react with some surprise that the senator would address him in this way. Attempting to discern Pardek's motives, he said, "Pardon me?"

Pardek took a step closer. "You undoubtedly heard me state that I intend to propose peace with the Cardassians. I wish to hear the opinion of the common man, if you will allow me to refer to you in that manner."

"I do not object."

Spock poured ale into Pardek's glass while he organized his thoughts. He had hoped to engage Pardek in conversation, but he had not anticipated that it would be this easy.

Finally, he said, "I believe that such a radical approach indicates that you have an open mind, and approaching any sort of discourse with an open mind, especially if it is discourse with one's adversary, is the first step toward successful negotiation."

Pardek regarded Spock for a moment, and then nodded with respect. "You are educated."

Spock inclined his head. "My family fell upon hard times, but not before I had completed a modest measure of formal schooling."

"Then perhaps you know that we have never attempted to discuss peace with the Cardassians before. My ideas are controversial. It will be difficult to dissuade the Council of their preconceived notions."

"Change is always difficult, even for those who are your esteemed peers. Perhaps you can advocate such change in small measures."

"Or perhaps I can be bold and convince them that this is a new era. I believe that peaceful negotiations with the Cardassians will be just the first step toward forming many alliances that will ultimately make us all stronger."

"That is indeed an impressive vision. I assume that you are staying with one of the prominent families of this area. What do they think of such a plan?"

Pardek shrugged with a deprecating grin. "They believe that I am foolish and idealistic, although they are much too polite to say so."

Spock hesitated. He needed to press for more information, but he did not wish to move too quickly and risk suspicion. However, if Rilena was in need of rescue, he and Nyota could not afford to wait. He finally decided that he must take the chance.

"Perhaps they are not merely being polite. With whom are you staying?"

"It is not just my hosts. I am certain I would receive the same reaction if I left this room and asked the first person I encountered. He would pretend to be interested in the visions of the poor, delusional senator who does not seem to realize that he has risen above his lowly origins, but that would be the extent of his support."

Pardek had sidestepped the question, so Spock tried again.

"But surely you have formed some bonds with the influential people of this area," he said. "Is there no one who would support you? My cousin is employed by the Lady Rilena, and I have heard that she is gracious and open-minded. I have also heard that she has political ambitions. She would seem a likely ally."

Pardek nodded politely. "The Lady Rilena is a lovely and generous woman, but I do not know her well enough to bring up such matters. Now, if you will excuse me, I must call upon my hosts. I have been remiss in expressing my appreciation of this fine food and drink."

Spock stepped back deferentially and allowed Pardek to leave the room. He experienced a flash of disappointment that Pardek had terminated the conversation so abruptly, but he thought that Pardek's reaction to Rilena's name was very telling. He left the study in search of Nyota.

…..

Uhura knew as soon as she saw him that he had located Pardek. She moved into a quiet corner of the dining room and waited for him to join her.

"You found him," she said.

"Yes. He was in the study. We actually had an interesting conversation."

"Really? Did you learn anything?"

"He is not what I expected. We discussed the prospect of a peace accord between the Romulans and the Cardassians."

"Wow. That's pretty amazing. If Rilena had caught wind of it, we would have heard."

"Agreed. This leaves us with several possibilities. It could be misdirection on his part, but I do not think it is because I overheard him speaking of it with someone else. Another possibility is that it is a recent plan, and Rilena did not know about it. A variation is that she did know about it but was prevented from telling anyone. Finally, it is possible that we are wrong about his connection to Rilena, and her disappearance has nothing to do with him, but his reaction to her name indicates that this is unlikely."

"You mentioned her name to him?"

"Yes. He ended the discussion and left. I have no doubt that he is involved with her in some manner."

"Were you able to find out where he's staying?"

"No, but I intend..."

Looking up sharply when his voice trailed away, she followed his gaze toward the entry hall. A smallish, dark-haired woman had just entered the house, and she could tell by the woman's imperious manner and the way their hosts rushed to great her that she must be a person of importance.

"Spock? Who..."

She turned toward him only to discover that he had vanished, but she knew by the soft click of the kitchen door where she'd find him. She followed him into the kitchen.

"What's the matter?" she murmured. "You acted like you had seen a ghost."

"In a manner of speaking, I did. She was the commander of the Romulan ship when Captain Kirk and I took the cloaking device."

"Oh, no. Do you think that she'd recognize you if she saw you?"

"Undoubtedly."

She studied him for a long moment, and then crossed her arms. "I have a feeling that there's more to this story than what you're telling me."

"The captain and I, ah, improvised. The plan was always for me to distract her while the captain located the cloaking device, but the manner in which I distracted her was not planned. You could say that an approach presented itself, and he and I chose to 'run' with it."

"You didn't."

"It depends on what you mean by that."

She couldn't help but smile at his discomfort. "You had sex with her!"

"I did not. I spoke with Captain Kirk via my communicator while I was in her quarters, and her sub-commander tracked down the source of the communication and caught me."

"So you would have if you hadn't been interrupted?"

"We were interrupted, so it is a moot point."

"That just means that you would have." She shook her head. "I have to admit that I'm not above using the lure of sexual favors to manipulate someone, but I wouldn't have expected it from you. I just can't picture you pretending to seduce someone."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you assume that I initiated the seduction?"

"She came on to you and you pretended to go along with it?" When he didn't reply, she said, "You weren't pretending!"

"She was a very attractive woman," he said defensively.

"So why do think she's here?"

"She was disgraced by what happened to her. I would have assumed that she lost her command, but judging by the way she was treated when she arrived, she must still be a person of some authority."

"Do you think that she's a visitor from the home world like Pardek?"

"That is a possibility, although it is also possible that this planet is her home now."

"Whichever it is, I'll bet she wouldn't react well to seeing you."

"That is an understatement if I have ever heard one. I had intended to talk to Pardek again, but that will have to wait."

"You should probably leave. I'll finish up here and join you soon. Maybe I can find out if she's just a visitor or if she's going to be around for a while."

"Be careful, Nyota. She is quite clever."

She smiled and patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll behave. I won't try to get to know her or anything."

He nodded and slipped out the back door, so she returned to the party.

…..

Later that night, Spock brought himself out of a meditative trance when he heard Nyota come through the door of their small room. They were no longer relegated to the yard, and while their room in the cellar was far from luxurious, it was warm and the bed was soft. It was a definite improvement.

Nyota took off her outer garment and hung it on a peg. "I found out why she's here," she said without preamble. "Evidently, she came to this planet to get as far away from Romulan command as she could, and she's devoted the last twenty years or so to reinventing her career. She's the regent of this entire area."

Spock frowned. "This is not welcome news. We will have to take great care to avoid her."

"I know, but maybe it won't be too hard. Someone told me that she doesn't get many chances to come out to the country."

"Where does she live?"

"In Bael. That's about thirty kilometers, isn't it?"

"Twenty-eight point two. It is the capital city of this region."

"Well, anyway, it's far enough that maybe we won't have to worry about her." He frowned, so she added, "Right?"

"If Rilena was taken away, she could be imprisoned somewhere. Following that line of reasoning, it is also logical to deduce that Bael would have a prison, possibly even the central prison for this area. And even if Rilena is not there, records of what happened to her might be."

"So we need to go to Bael. We'll just have to be careful."

"Nyota, I do not wish to be alarmist, but you must understand the negative impact this development could have on our situation."

She sat on the edge of the mattress, not looking away from him as she slowly slipped off her shoes.

"The penalty for treason on Romulus is death," he continued, "and I most certainly committed treason. I was able to escape, but there is no doubt in my mind that the sentence still stands. If I were to be discovered by anyone other than the regent, I would not be optimistic about my fate but enough of a doubt would exist to offer a glimmer of hope. If the regent were to catch me, the end would be swift and certain. And by your association with me, it would be the same for you."

She studied the shoes in her hands, and then took a deep breath and met his eyes. "Well, then, we'll just have to make sure they don't catch us."

"That was always our intent."

Smiling ruefully, she shook her head. "I can't say that it hasn't been awkward when I've run into an old boyfriend or two in the past, but I don't think that any of them have ever literally wanted to kill me."

He shrugged.

"So." She put the shoes to the side and climbed into bed next to him. "Things should be pretty quiet tomorrow, since the party is over. Do we want to try to find a reason to go into town?

"Yes, and we should try to leave early. That will allow us sufficient time to explore. Even if we cannot stay all day, we can learn enough to return later under the cover of night."

"And do any breaking and entering, or whatever other sneaky illegal thing we might need to do."

"Correct."

He rolled onto his side to face her. The light was very low, and he could just see the pointed outline of her ear. He idly ran his finger along it.

"Before we came here," she said, "had you ever touched a pointed ear that wasn't your own?"

He drew back so he could see her face. "That is an odd question."

"I guess I'm wondering if you touched her that way."

"The regent?"

"Are there any other pointy-eared women in your past I should know about?"

"There are no other 'pointy-eared' women in my past, unless of course you include T'Pring. She is the only one other than T'Pring."

"So did you touch her that way?"

"Nyota, are you jealous?"

She smiled. "Maybe just a little, but I'm mostly curious."

"Very well. Until this mission, I had never touched a pointed ear that was not my own. However, even if I had, neither at this moment nor at any in the future would I wish to touch, kiss, or do anything else to a pointed ear that is not yours. There. Are you satisfied?"

"Mmmmm, yes. That was very thorough. I'd say that you've covered all your bases. Now, touch me there again."

"I shall do even better than that."

He nibbled gently on her ear, and she shivered and pulled him close.

**End chapter three**


	4. Chapter 4

**In Single Words, Chapter Four**

Uhura found Spock in the study and leaned close. "No dice. I thought that the head cook might let me go shopping, but it didn't work out. What about you? Have you found a reason for them to let us take one of the ground cars?"

"No. Before I could ask, I was informed that I must finish these accounts today. I fear that I am 'stuck' here, as you would say."

Grinning devilishly, she picked up a glass of water he had placed to the side, and she held it over his stack of journals. "What if someone, say, just happened to spill water all over these, and you were forced to go buy new ones?"

He reached hastily for the glass and took it from her just before the first drop escaped.

"Not those," he said. "They represent several days' work. These."

With that, he dumped the entire glass on the journal that was open before him, as well as the three empty ones beside it.

"How clumsy of me," he added.

She put her hands on her hips. "Now look what you've done! We'll just have to go buy some more."

"I believe that you are correct."

They left the study together in search of the house manager.

…..

Much later that night, they returned to the shed where the ground cars were stored. They had been forced to cut their earlier reconnaissance short because the head housekeeper had set limits on Nyota's absence, but they had still learned what they needed to know. The prison was in the city center, and all official records were maintained by the magistrate's office next door. These records included not just crime but travel as well. The fact that the Romulan government held such tight control over its citizens might make their mission more challenging in some ways, but it might make it easier in others. He had not anticipated that they would be able to track Rilena's movements this way.

He heaved the large sliding door open and allowed Nyota to enter in front of him.

"Spock, how are we going to manage this without anyone hearing us?"

"We will put it in neutral, and you will steer while I push. The ground is level until we get to the road. It will not be difficult."

"Okay."

He waited until she got into the car and chose the appropriate gear, and then he moved behind it and began to push. Their progress was slow but silent, with only the occasional crack of a stick or crunch of gravel to give them away. She allowed the car to keep rolling while he stopped to close the door behind them, and before long they were on the main road making good progress toward Bael.

…..

She held the door open just a crack and watched the hallway while Spock tapped away at the computer. They'd made it into the magistrate's office without too much trouble and he'd quickly settled in front of one of the computers, but he hadn't said a word since he'd begun his search.

"Any luck?" she whispered.

"No. The transaction in which she bought her estate is recorded here, as are additional large purchases such as livestock, a ground car, and the rug that you admired. There is nothing that would explain where she has gone. If she left of her own volition, it was either done under an alias or it was not accomplished via commercial means. Interestingly, there is no record of her arrival, which of course you and I can explain, but I cannot help but wonder if it escaped the notice of those who might care about such things."

"So someone might have noticed that she just showed up one day?"

"Unknown. I have also been able to access the list of women who are imprisoned in the next building, and her name is not among them. Of course, if she was arrested for espionage, it is possible that any records would be classified and therefore not accessible by the minor officials who maintain this database."

She moved to the window and looked down at the courtyard. She could see just the front of their car, but it was parked next to a residence so it didn't look suspicious.

"So I guess we'll have to check it out ourselves," she said.

"Yes."

"I'm starting to get a little nervous, Spock. It won't be long until the sun comes up."

"I am aware of that. It is a risk we must take, however, for we do not know when we will have this opportunity again."

She sighed. "I know. Do what you need to do."

Moving back to the door, she peered out at the dark hallway again. If she had more to do than just this, she wouldn't have time to think about what would happen to them if they got caught, and to think about how desperately tired she was. It had been a while since either of them had gotten a decent night's sleep, and she knew that it was wearing on her. And, she reminded herself, if things got too heated, she'd be wishing that all she had to worry about was sleep.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally shut down the computer and joined her at the door.

"Did you find anything else?" she asked.

"Not about Rilena, but I did find something very interesting about Pardek. He is not on the planet as anyone's guest. He purchased a house less than two kilometers from here."

She straightened. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Eight weeks and five days ago."

"That's right before the last message from Markovitch."

Nodding, he edged past her and leaned into the hallway. "If we can check the prison quickly, we should have time to locate his house before we leave the city."

He started down the hallway, so she closed the door and hurried to catch up with him. "What do you think it means?" she whispered.

"I do not have enough information to form any conclusions."

"I'm not asking you to file a report! I know you, and I know that you have a million possibilities going through your head right now. Spill them."

He paused at the doorway to the stairwell to look at her.

"Okay, so I'm a little cranky at the moment," she said, "but I'd really like to know what you think."

"Very well." He motioned for her to precede him down the stairs. "One typically purchases a home when certain conditions are met. First, one has enough money. Second, one has decided to live there, assuming the house is being purchased for personal use. If Pardek has suddenly come into wealth, I must ask why. Was he paid for providing a service or information? Has he appropriated money that belonged to someone else?"

"Such as Rilena?"

"I can only speculate. Then, why would he wish to establish a residence here? I find that even more puzzling. Unless he intends to retire from his position as a senator, this home must by necessity be a second residence. Does he intend to vacation here? Another possibility is that he has something to hide, or even that he has formed an alliance with someone on this planet."

They had reached the short walkway that would take them from the provincial offices building to the prison, so they looked around before hurrying to the next door. Spock dispensed with the lock quickly, and they entered what appeared to be a waiting area. There was a heavy door on the other side with a small, reinforced glass window, so they cautiously crossed the room, and he looked through it.

"What do you see?" she asked.

"There is an office to the right and a door like this one just beyond it. I cannot be certain what is beyond the second door, but it appears to be a series of branching hallways."

"Can you see any of the inmates?"

"No. I detect no movement, but that is not surprising because it is night. One moment..." He ducked to the side and whispered, "Someone is approaching."

"Did you see who it is?"

"No. I heard the footsteps."

Uhura barely breathed while they waited to see what would happen, and soon she heard the footsteps, too, followed by the jingling of keys and the sound of the inner door opening. He motioned for her to move to the other side of the door where she would not be seen, and when the outer door opened, he reached up and caught the guard by the shoulder. The guard slumped to the floor, and she saw that it was a woman.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "It would appear that inspecting the cells will be a task for you."

"It sure looks that way, doesn't it?" she replied.

She started unbuttoning her shirt while Spock removed the uniform from the woman.

…..

Trying to look like she belonged there, Uhura walked purposefully down the first long hallway in order to get an idea of what she was faced with. She resisted the impulse to look closely at the occupants of the cells as she made this first pass because she knew that her next task would be to do just that. Everyone appeared to be sound asleep, and she might have to make some noise to get them to move so that she could see them. It wouldn't be to her benefit to make that noise too soon, though. She'd assess the situation before making her decision.

Just as she turned the corner to check out the next hall, the woman in the cell she had just passed coughed, and she was so startled that she dropped the keys. She stayed very still, and when there was no more noise, she decided that the woman must have gone back to sleep. Good. So now she had a new problem. The guard who had donated the uniform was considerably thinner, and she wasn't sure if she could bend down. She slid her feet apart until she could just barely reach the floor without bending too much at the waist, and she caught the keys in her fingertips.

Once she had the keys securely in her hand, she continued her circuit around the area. The second hallway held men. She backtracked and chose another branch, but it had even more men. That left just one more branch. She quickly walked through and satisfied herself that she would not be surprised by another guard, and she headed back to the office.

She tapped lightly on the door. "Spock! It's me."

He opened the door and closed it quickly behind her. "What did you find?"

"There are four hallways in all. One holds all women, and another has a few more. All in all, there are many more men than women. I couldn't tell if Rilena was one of the women, though. I'll have to make another round to take a closer look." She glanced at the corner to see that the guard was stretched out on the floor with a blanket on top of her. "I'm glad you covered her up. She looked cold in only her underwear. Has she started to come around yet?"

"She stirred once, but I rendered her unconscious before her surroundings could register. Incidentally, I planted a suggestion in her mind. When she awakens, she will think that she blacked out because she has been ill."

"Good idea. Now I just have to be careful with her uniform. It might be hard for her to understand if the seat of her pants is split open when she wakes up."

"I agree. You must be careful."

She smacked him on the arm. "You weren't supposed to agree with me!"

He raised an eyebrow, so she said, "I guess I need to get back out there and take a closer look. I'm going to have to wake most of them up if I want to see their faces. They'll know I'm not their usual guard."

"Not if they cannot see your face. Shine the flashlight in their eyes when you awaken them."

"Hey, that's another good idea! I knew I brought you along for a reason."

He turned her toward the door. "Do it quickly. We must go soon."

She smiled. "I know. It won't take long."

…..

Spock checked the guard, then sat down at the desk again and experimentally pressed a few buttons. He knew that this must be a master console that would allow someone to monitor the prison from one location, but so far he had been unable to discern how it operated. He flipped a switch, and a panel brightened. Ah. Very good.

He turned a dial, and the picture resolved itself into the view of a long, dark hallway lined by cells. There was no activity. He turned the dial again to see another hallway, also with no activity. When he turned the dial the third time, he found Nyota.

Leaning back in the chair, he observed that she had developed a methodical approach toward studying the occupant of each cell. She would move close to the force field, shine the flashlight into the cell, and say something that would evidently rouse the occupant of the cell. It appeared to be working. He could not determine what she was saying to each prisoner, however. His translator turned it into something that made no sense at all—it sounded like 'cabbage soup'—but he listened to her say it repeatedly and he could get no closer to discerning her meaning.

He turned the dial again, curious to discover what other areas were monitored, but what he saw caused him to sit up with alarm. There were two men in uniform out in the waiting area, and between them was a third man in restraints who was obviously being admitted to the prison. One of them leaned in the direction of the camera and pushed something, and a loud buzz sounded in the office.

He quickly dialed back to Nyota to see that she had finished checking the cells and was heading back to the door. Rushing over to the guard, he administered a nerve pinch even though she did not appear to be close to rousing, and he slipped through the office door and crouched next to the inner door.

He heard the rattle of the keys, and before Nyota had fully opened the door, he reached up and grabbed her by the arm. He was prepared for the possibility that she would shriek from surprise or lash out in a manner that would neutralize a perceived threat, but fortunately he was able to pull her to the floor and cover her mouth before she had the chance to do either.

Her eyes were big over his hand. "There are three men in the waiting area," he whispered.

She nodded, so he released her, and they crawled back into the office. The buzzer sounded again as she frantically began unbuttoning the uniform.

"Did you find Markovitch?" he asked.

"No. I don't think she's here. How are we going to get out of this?"

He helped her pull her shirt off, and he started wrestling the guard into it. "We will need a diversion."

"That will be hard, with us in here and them out there. Anything we do will draw attention to ourselves."

"Not necessarily. We must direct their attention elsewhere. I have a thought about how we can accomplish that."

"Great! Give me a moment to get these pants off, and I'll work on her while you work on that. There."

She nudged him away, so he moved over to the desk. He ignored the buzzer as it sounded yet again, this time for a longer duration.

"While you were investigating the cells," he said, "I discovered that the controls for this facility are in this console. There must be a way to open all of the cells in the case of an emergency."

She paused to gape at him. "What? You're going to set all of these people free?"

"The outer doors are locked. They will not go anywhere."

She picked up a shoe and pushed the guard's foot into it. "How will this get rid of the men in the waiting area?"

"Judging by their attire, I assume that they are law enforcement officials. Either they will call for assistance, or an alarm will sound and the assistance will come to them. In either case, I am certain that their attention will be on the situation inside the prison. They would have no reason to come into this office."

"Unless they need to use these controls."

"That is a possibility. We will jam the door shut until we are certain that the outer room is empty, and only then will we make our escape."

She stood. "Well, I'm done here. I guess it's now or never."

He moved the guard to the chair and carefully placed her head and arms across the console so that it would appear that she had activated the controls when she collapsed upon them. Tuning the video to the waiting area, he studied the rest of the controls for a moment, and then flipped a switch. Nothing. He tried another switch. Still nothing. Again. Nothing. Finally, he ran his hands roughly across the board, flipping every switch and pressing every button possible.

The lights dimmed, a siren started blaring, and a few surprised voices from inside the prison were suddenly followed by the sound of chaos as everyone realized that they were no longer confined to their cells. He could also hear the sound of water, so he knew that he had activated the sprinkler system.

"I would say that I was successful," he shouted over the din.

"No kidding!" she replied.

"Watch the monitor while I hold the door. What is happening in the waiting area?"

"They're definitely excited. One of them is talking on a communicator, and the other is rushing this way... The outside door just opened and two more men came in. Their weapons are drawn, and one of them has keys. Watch out! They're all heading this way, and if they're going to find us, it's going to be now!"

He leaned his full weight against the office door. An instant later he heard the inner door open and close, followed by shouted instructions, and he knew that the outer area would be clear.

"Now!" he said.

They rushed out of the office and through the waiting area, and soon they were back outside. The sky was just beginning to turn lighter. They paused to catch their breath before walking toward the ground car as quickly as possible without looking conspicuous.

She wrapped her hand around his arm. "Whew! That was close."

"Indeed it was. We do not have time to look for Pardek's house now."

"That's fine with me. I've had enough excitement for the day."

They walked quietly until Spock said, "When you were checking the cells, I could not understand what you were saying. Was it 'cabbage soup'?"

She looked at him without comprehension for a moment, but then laughed. "Oh! I was saying, 'Kak vas zovut.' Since Rilena is Russian, it's Russian for 'what's your name.'"

"Ah. I see."

"Did you think that I was wishing happy shoes on someone again?"

"I did not know."

"No, this time I knew what I was talking about."

They reached the car, and soon they were on their way home.

…..

Forty-five minutes later, she steered while Spock pushed the car back into the shed, and they managed to close the shed and make it back to their room just before they were roused to start another day.

**End chapter four**


	5. Chapter 5

**In Single Words, Chapter Five**

Spock was in the stable taking inventory when he heard a voice behind him.

"She is a magnificent creature, is she not?"

He turned to see that Pardek stood at the gate to a stall, rubbing the nose of one of the animals.

"Indeed she is," Spock replied, "although I must confess that I am not particularly knowledgeable about this species."

"Of course not. You are not a field hand's son. You would not recognize that she was bred for speed and beauty rather than endurance." He gave the animal a final hearty pat on the side of its neck, and walked casually to the next stall with his back to Spock. "However, I would have expected you to recognize the name on the stall, if nothing else. Her racing fame is widely known."

"Perhaps it is because I am relatively new to the area. I came here from Teret."

"Ah, I see. No doubt your cousin who works for the Lady Rilena told you that life is not so hard here as it is in Olanda."

"That is correct." Concerned that Pardek would ask the name of his fictitious cousin, Spock quickly changed the subject. "Senator, I understand that you are here on holiday. Will you be returning to Romulus soon?"

Pardek shook his head as he walked further away. "I hope to stay here as long as possible. I enjoy the country. I have always found it very relaxing, and I fear that I must enjoy the relaxation while I can, for it will be scarce once the senate is back in session."

"What is on the agenda?"

"Perhaps you have heard of the recent initiative to increase the price of attending early school. It is unfair to those with little wealth. My constituents in the Krocton district are at a particular disadvantage."

"Am I correct in assuming that you intend to fight it?"

"Not only do I intend to fight it, I intend to propose a new tax on the wealthy that would allow the cost of an education to be lowered." Pardek finally stopped pacing and turned to face Spock. "You are a person of some education, and once again I find that I am interested in your perspective. What do you think of this?"

"Education is the great equalizer between rich and poor. The lack of an education keeps the common man in his place, and that is attractive to many. You are correct in anticipating that your ideas will be met with resistance."

"You, yourself, have an advantage over the manual laborers. Your education allowed you to find a position within the house that would keep you out of the fields. Would you willingly give up that advantage?"

"There will always be a need for the manual laborers, but an education would improve their quality of life. They would become more efficient in their work, and they would find innovative new ways to perform it. Ultimately, the entire economy would benefit."

"Thus speaks the educated man."

"It is merely common sense."

"Oh, yes, that is correct. I forget that your education was modest. It is fortunate that you were endowed with such a generous amount of common sense."

Spock paused, uncertain whether Pardek was mocking him, but before he could think of a retort, Pardek gave him a small bow and said, "I have enjoyed our discussion, but I have kept you from your task. It is time for me to go."

Pardek started toward the door but turned back at the last moment. "I am afraid that I am at a disadvantage. What is your name?"

"Tayok."

"Have a pleasant afternoon, Tayok."

"And the same to you, Senator."

This time, when Pardek walked to the door, he did not turn back. Spock had hoped to bring the discussion around to where Pardek was staying and why he was staying there, but once again he had not been successful. He raised an eyebrow and returned to his work.

…..

"… and when Sira realized what she had done, she took it outside and buried it in the garden!"

"Nalla, it was Cook's favorite apron!" retorted Sira. "I was in charge of all the ironing that day, and if she had seen the scorch mark, she would have known I had done it! It was much better to let her think that she had misplaced it."

Laughing along with the others, Uhura pulled a wet sheet out of the laundry basket and helped Nalla shake out the wrinkles and pin it on the line. She felt a little mean having so much fun at the head cook's expense, but the woman certainly had it coming. Just this morning she had made Joleni's little boy cry, and he was only five years old. He'd been so proud to be helping his mother with her sewing, and he hadn't been hurting a thing with the old scrap of fabric she'd given him to play with. Uhura had come to the conclusion that Cook would find fault with anything, and she'd stopped worrying when the woman threatened to fire her over some small incident or another.

"Ota, here comes your handsome husband," said Nalla loudly. "You should go see what he wants before Sira starts to flirt with him."

"I'd better hurry, then!" laughed Uhura, walking away while Sira playfully pounded on Nalla's arm with her fist.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," he said when she reached him.

"You don't know how happy we are to be outside for a few minutes. This is more work than putting the sheets in the dryer, but we were looking for an excuse to come out here." She put her hands on her back and stretched. "I spent most of the morning on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor. When I asked why I couldn't use a cleaning bot, they said that they didn't have one. Who ever heard of such a thing?"

"Not only do robots have to be purchased, but they must be taken to town for repair when they break. Labor is cheaper here."

"Maybe so, but have you seen the way Nalla's mother hobbles around? She's not young, but she's not that old, either. It's so unfair."

He moved closer. "You seem to be on increasingly familiar terms with these people," he murmured. "Do you think that this is wise?"

"Spock, I'm not going to blow my cover, if that's what you're thinking. If anything, it'll improve my cover because I'm fitting in so well. They'll also be more likely to tell me if they know anything that'll help us find Rilena."

"Very well. I concede both of your points." He motioned toward the stable. "I just had a fascinating discussion with Pardek. He stated that he intends to advocate a new tax to be levied on the rich that will finance education for the poor."

"Wow. That's a pretty lofty goal for a person who might be mixed up in something as shady as Rilena's disappearance."

"Yes, it is. He even made a point of mentioning Rilena's name during our conversation with no prompting from me. I do not know what game he plays. We must return to the city tonight to investigate his house."

"All right." She looked over her shoulder at the sound of the back door opening and closing to see that Nalla and Sira had gone back inside. "It looks like they're done with the laundry. I'd better go."

He nodded, and they parted company.

…..

Spock drove while Uhura looked at the city map he had swiped from the study. It was dark, which made it hard to read the street signs, but she was certain that she knew where they were.

"I don't get it, Spock. Pardek's house should have been right back there. Could we make another pass at it? Maybe I just missed it."

"We have already driven by there twice. We must be careful to remain inconspicuous."

"Good point. Let's wait a few minutes before going back."

He pulled over, so she leaned close to show him the map. "We're right here. According to the title you found, his house is unit twenty-six of block eleven in the Kasot district. I'm a little confused by the way they designate addresses, but I'm almost positive that the house should have been on that last block."

He took the map from her. "I believe that you are correct. I do not understand why we cannot find it."

"How about if I drive and you look?"

"That is acceptable."

They swapped sides, but she knew that it was still too soon to go back, so she decided to kill time by thinking about breakfast. She was hungry. It was hard to get excited about the gruel they'd eaten every morning since they arrived, however.

"Spock, when we get back to the Enterprise, I'm going to have a cheese and mushroom omelet. Made out of three eggs, with sourdough toast and blackberry jam. And fresh-squeezed orange juice."

"You have given this some thought."

"No, not really. It just sounds good."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Fresh cantaloupe sounds rather enticing."

"Ooh, yes. With strawberries. I'm so sick of that stuff they've been feeding us. It's too much like oatmeal, and I don't like oatmeal even when it's loaded up with raisins and nuts or whatever. This stuff is too plain. It's like eating wallpaper paste."

"I have never eaten wallpaper paste."

She laughed. "You know what I mean. I-"

A light shone through their back window, and she met Spock's eyes before they both slid down in their seats. The light grew brighter, and a car went by without slowing, but neither of them moved after it was gone.

"This is almost like getting caught making out," she said.

"Making what?"

"Making out. It's an ancient earth custom. Would you like for me to show you?"

"I am curious, but I believe that we have waited long enough. We should go back now."

"Okay. Remind me to show you later."

"I shall."

They both sat up, and she adjusted the settings before putting the car in gear and turning around. She slowly drove back the way they had just come.

Pointing out the passenger-side window, she said, "That's where I thought it should be."

"Agreed. Stop the vehicle. I need to be closer to the houses so I can be certain that we're reading the numbers correctly."

"You're going to get out? Spock, I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"It is our only choice."

She pulled over reluctantly. "Just be careful."

"I will. Drive slowly around the block and meet me back here."

"Okay."

As she pulled away, she watched him in the rear-view screen until he was swallowed up by the darkness. The night seemed unusually quiet and still. There was no sign of activity, not even the scurry of night creatures or the vocalization of a sleepy pet. All of the houses appeared to be shuttered for the night, but she still felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck as she imagined that people were watching her from their darkened windows, or that they had merely been waiting for Spock to leave the car before they pounced. She had to force herself not to speed back to him.

Finally, she rounded the last corner. She slowed the car down to a crawl and searched the shadows, but she still wasn't prepared when he seemingly stepped out of nowhere.

She put her hand over her heart while he got back in the car.

"Boy, I'm jumpy," she said. "Any luck?"

"No. The address does not exist. This is our first irrefutable proof that Pardek is involved in a deception of some sort. I will continue to coax him into telling me where he lives, but I am not optimistic that he will comply."

"I'd say that it's pretty certain he won't comply. I'm dying to know what he's up to."

"The term 'dying' does not express my state of mind, but I am understandably intrigued. We will continue to learn what we can, and perhaps we will uncover his secrets soon."

She put the car back in gear and headed toward the road that would take them out of town.

…..

The next night, Spock sat on a log next to Nyota and looked around at the people who, like them, had gathered near a large fire. He had found the day rather frustrating because he and Nyota had both been so busy with their assigned tasks that they had been unable to further investigate Pardek. Then, when darkness had begun to fall, it had become clear that some sort of festivity was planned for the night, and they had been thwarted again.

But he could not deny that he was enjoying this.

The firelight illuminated the faces of his supposed peers, simple laborers who had every reason to bemoan their existence but instead were laughing and singing and embracing one another, reveling in this simple appreciation of life. Three young women were playing stringed instruments, and a cluster of children were alternately jumping around to the beat of the music and chasing one another throughout the crowd. Several couples were dancing, and as he watched, a pair of teenagers who were holding hands looked over their shoulders as if to avoid parental detection, and then slipped into the shadows. An elderly man sat on a chair in the midst of it all, almost lordly as he surveyed his domain. It was quite a fascinating sight.

He turned toward Nyota and studied the way the flames flickered over her face and caught just the tip of her pointed ear in the firelight. She was in an animated conversation with the woman called Nalla, who sat on a stump beside her. Both women held plain tin cups filled with a strong concoction that had been poured liberally throughout the night. Indeed, a man had tried to give him a cup of it, but he had finally been able to deflect the well-intentioned man by stating that he would share Nyota's. She had talked him into trying one sip, and that one sip had been enough to convince him that he had made the right choice by refusing it.

A man came over and took Nalla by the hand, and as he towed her toward the dancers, she called out, "Ota, you and Tayok should join us! Come dance!"

"Sure!" replied Nyota. "We'll be right there!" She chuckled at the expression on Spock's face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to make you dance."

"Thank you."

She looped her arm through his and leaned against his shoulder.

"It's so nice to be able to sit here with you like this," she said quietly. "If we were back on the ship, you'd never let me do this with people all around us." Putting her hand on the back of his head, she pulled him close for a brief kiss, and then sighed. "That was nice."

"Yes, it was."

"I can almost forget that we're in a dangerous place. These people are good, Spock. I like them. I didn't expect to like them."

"Nor did I. You are correct – they are good people. They do not deserve the enmity of the Federation. Of course, they are represented by the ruling class and the military, which possess different values and frequently justify the mistrust with which the Federation views them."

"I guess it's like that in a lot of places. Earth, included. I wish I could tell Saavik that her Romulan parent was one of these people, instead of someone who was capable of the terrible act that conceived her."

"We will tell her about their basic decency. Regardless of what a bad person might have done, she must come to understand that not all Romulans are like that. This knowledge will help her come to terms with the facts of her parentage."

"You're right. We'll have to make sure she knows about the good people we've met here."

They were interrupted by Nalla, who suddenly appeared and grabbed Nyota's hand. "Ota, enough sitting around! Come dance with us. You can kiss Tayok later."

Nyota threw him an apologetic smile as she allowed herself to be towed away, and he situated himself more comfortably on the log so he could watch her dance.

**End chapter five**


	6. Chapter 6

**In Single Words, Chapter Six**

As Uhura carried a stack of folded linens out of the laundry room, it occurred to her that she was entirely sick of cooking and cleaning. When they got back to the Enterprise, she was going to make as big of a mess in her quarters as she wanted, and she was going to leave it like that for as long as she could stand it. She hadn't complained to Spock, but it hardly seemed fair that he had already gotten to take a walk outside today, ostensibly to inspect the progress of the crops, and she had been stuck in the hot, steamy laundry room since she got up this morning. Next time they went undercover, she'd have to make sure that it was in a more enlightened culture.

As she started up the stairs, she heard Spock's voice, and she realized that he was in the study. He also wasn't alone. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, she put the linens on the landing and knelt low enough to peer into the study. Spock sat across a table from Pardek with some sort of game board between them, and they both appeared to be very engrossed in it. Fascinating, as Spock would say. Pardek had sought him out every day for the last four days, and this would make it their fifth meeting.

She hurried up the rest of the stairs and shoved the linens into a closet, and tiptoed back and sat on the top step. She was sure that the men couldn't see her feet, and she sat very still while she listened to their conversation.

"...and I persuaded him to take me as an apprentice." That was Pardek. "I could barely make it from one meal to the next with what he paid me, but the experience was invaluable. In ten years time I owned the business myself, and I had more than doubled the staff."

"It was quite an accomplishment to rise from your humble beginnings in such a manner," said Spock. "Does this explain your compassion for those who are less fortunate?"

"I like to think that I would have such compassion even if I had been richly born, but it is hard to know. Perhaps."

"May I ask what led you into politics?"

"You may. It was actually quite simple, hardly a life-changing event as one might think. An old man who lived in my building caught his hand in a door, and he was turned away from the hospital because he had allowed his residency papers to lapse. You see, he did not have the funds to pay for the renewal."

Spock made a small noise of assent. "One who was most in need of the government's assistance was denied the government's assistance."

"You understand. I went before the magistrate and successfully argued the man's case, and soon others who were in similar situations came to me. It went from there."

There was a brief pause and a faint scraping sound, and Uhura assumed that someone had made a move on the game board.

"But enough about me," said Pardek. "Tell me of your background. What caused you to give up your education?"

Uhura held her breath while she waited for Spock to answer. He wasn't very good at improvising when it involved deception, and she didn't know how he would handle this. Then again, he sure hadn't had any problems improvising with the Romulan commander all those years ago. Just when you thought you knew someone...

"My father was a research scientist," he said. "He fell ill, and he lost his job and eventually his life. My mother was unable to cope, so it fell to me to support my family."

"It is ironic that my path in life has taken me from the lowliest of beginnings upward, while yours has done just the reverse. It is unfortunate, too, because I can tell that you have tremendous intelligence."

"I am honored that you think so."

"Have you ever considered the possibility of pursuing further schooling? Or perhaps you could find a position where you would learn new skills, similar to what I did so many years ago."

"As you yourself just pointed out, it was many years ago. You were young. Not many employers would be willing to take an apprentice of my age."

"I know that you have impressed your employers with your analytical skills. You could advance in your current field."

"It is actually quite a coincidence that you should say this, because I came to this area for just such a reason. My cousin told me that the Lady Rilena was seeking someone who would be more than a mere bookkeeper or overseer. Instead, she needed someone who would be more of an equal partner, someone who could manage her accounts and run her estate, freeing her for her philanthropic pursuits."

Uhura looked around to make sure she was still alone before allowing herself a small smile. She had wondered how Spock was going to bring the conversation back to Rilena, but he had managed just fine. She was actually a little unsettled at how easily the deception was coming to him. This was probably the price he paid for being around humans for so long.

"That sounds like quite an opportunity," said Pardek.

"Indeed it was. She was not home when I arrived, and according to my cousin, she had been away for many weeks. I waited as long as I could, but eventually I was forced to find employment elsewhere. Of course, I am grateful to have been given this position here, but it is not what I was seeking."

"Unfortunate."

"Perhaps you know something of the Lady Rilena's whereabouts. I understand that she left without informing her staff where she was going, but I am certain she must have mentioned it to someone."

"She said nothing to me, but that is not surprising because I did not know her well."

"Your use of the past tense indicates that you believe her absence to be permanent."

"It was merely the turn of a phrase. Her estate is still functioning, is it not? To me, that indicates that they anticipate her eventual return."

"Have you heard anything at all, even speculation or gossip?"

"No."

"What of your hosts? Perhaps you could ask if they know anything. Am I correct in assuming that they live in this area?"

"Tayok, you are quite shrewd. You have distracted me, and I see now that you have me cornered."

There was a long silence, and Uhura knew that Spock, like herself, was trying to figure out what the hell Pardek meant by that. Finally, though, she heard a soft clatter from the game board, and Pardek said, "I give you my last piece. You are very good at this game."

_Oh, the game_, thought Uhura. Pardek had been talking about the game. At least, she thought that he had been talking about the game. She'd be interested to hear Spock's take on it.

"Perhaps tomorrow we can have a rematch," continued Pardek, "and you can be certain that I will rethink my strategy."

"Until then," said Spock.

A chair scraped against the floor, and the sound of footsteps told her that someone was leaving the study. She dawdled on the steps until Pardek was gone, and then met Spock in the doorway of the study.

"Did you hear?" he asked.

"Most of it. He's just not going to budge on Rilena. Do you think he suspects something?"

"Possibly."

"Spock, I hate to say this, but he obviously knows how smart you are. Maybe it would be easier to get information out of him if you, well, you know, if you played dumb."

Spock gave her a look that expressed his opinion of that idea.

"It's worth a try!" she added.

"I have come to the conclusion that we must find out where Pardek lives through other means. He is obviously linked to Rilena, although I cannot determine in what way. It is possible that she was forced to take her masquerade to a new level and go somewhere with him. Another possibility is that he used her to gain information, or even that he turned her in to gain favor. I do know that he has recently moved up the political chain."

"I agree that it sounds suspicious. Do you have any thoughts about how we can find out where he lives?"

"I will make a tracking device out of one of our communicators. He indicated that he would return tomorrow. While I engage his attention, you must attach it to his vehicle."

"Okay. I can do that."

She looked up to see that the head housekeeper was approaching, so she gave Spock a quick nod and headed back to the laundry room.

…..

Much later that night, Spock stole into the study, closed the shutters, turned on a single light over the desk, and reached into his pocket for his communicator and the tools he had taken from the foreman's office. The tools were designed for farm equipment so were not as fine as he would have liked, but they would do.

Nyota had already gone to bed. She had expressed the desire to accompany him, and he had been tempted to accept her offer, but in the end he had told her to sleep. He and she had been up for at least part of almost every night since they had arrived, and she was in need of rest. There was not a great deal of risk in what he was doing, at any rate. If someone caught him, he could pretend that he had stayed up late to work on the books.

Just as he was putting the cover back on the communicator, he heard a faint sound from outside the window. He could easily have mistaken it for the wind in the branches, but he knew that there was no wind tonight. He turned out the light and moved quietly to the window.

Opening the shutter a crack, he looked out just in time to see a hooded figure place something in a tree across the drive from the corner of the house. The figure glanced back over its shoulder as if judging direction or distance, made one last adjustment to what was in the tree, and vanished into the orchard.

Spock continued to stare out the window. What had he just witnessed? The tree was in view of both the vehicle shed and two sides of the house. He could just barely make out the object in the tree, but he felt fairly certain that it was a monitoring device, which would explain why the person had been so careful to position it in sight of the house and vehicle shed. Why would someone do that? And who was that person? The cloak had obscured the person's figure, but Spock still thought that it looked too slender to have been Pardek. Could it have been someone allied with Pardek? Could it have been a government agent or a member of the military? Perhaps it was someone from a competing estate, and what he had seen had nothing to do with him, Nyota, Pardek, or Elena Markovitch.

But he doubted it.

As he returned to the desk and began gathering the tools in the dark, he realized that regardless of his unanswered questions, there were two things he knew for certain. One, he and Nyota could no longer take the ground car from the shed, because it would be in sight of the monitoring device. Two, when she placed the transmitter on Pardek's car, she would have to do it even more covertly than they had anticipated, because Pardek always parked in front of the house and that would be in sight of the monitoring device, as well.

He put the tools and communicator in his pocket and left the room.

…..

As Uhura walked in from the orchard with a basket of fruit, she tried to decide where she was in relation to the tree without appearing to pay any attention to it. She would only have one chance to do this, and she had to make it work.

There. Just two more steps, and Pardek's car would be directly between her and the tree. She pretended to stumble, and she spilled the contents of the basket far enough in front of her that at least some of the fruit was out of the sight of whatever was in that tree.

Going down to her knees, she made a great show of being flustered, and when she reached for the piece of fruit closest to the side of Pardek's ground car, she slipped the communicator from her pocket, slapped it underneath the car, and picked up the fruit all in one fluid motion. Mission accomplished.

She stood, brushed off her knees, and returned to the house.

…..

As soon as he said his goodbyes to Pardek, Spock hurried to the study, closed the door, and removed his communicator from his pocket. As anticipated, the directional indicator jumped to the correct position, and when he widened the grid to include more than just the estate, he saw that the beacon was heading directly toward Bael.

He heard a tap on the door, and although he knew that it must be Nyota, he lowered the communicator to where it could not be seen.

"Come," he said.

She slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Is it working?" she asked.

He showed it to her. "He is on a direct route to Bael."

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait. Because it appears that we have aroused suspicion, I want to be very certain that we have located his home before we act. We will monitor his habits over the next several days. If we can establish a pattern, only then will we go."

"I've been thinking about how we can do that without access to the car. The head cook goes to the market every couple of days, and I've gotten friendly enough with her that I could probably talk her into letting us ride along. But it would be during the daytime, which really worries me."

He nodded. "The risks are tremendous. First, it increases the difficulty of gaining access without being detected."

"The houses seem to be practically on top of each other. I'll bet there are neighbors all around that would be able to see every door and every window."

"And I would not bet against you. Second, even assuming that we gain access, anyone in the house would be awake and alert to signs of intruders."

"But hopefully Pardek would be away during the day, so maybe there's a benefit to offset that risk."

"True, but the third risk, and perhaps the greatest, is that if we were detected, even assuming that we were able to escape, our faces would be seen in the light of day. It would be only a matter of time until our identities became known."

"Then I guess that we need to decide if this is worth the possibility of ending our mission."

"It would be the end of our mission at the very least. At worst, we would lose our lives, for if we were caught the punishment would be swift and severe."

"Especially for you."

"I doubt that either of us would be spared."

"So. Do we wait and hope for a better opportunity, or do we act as soon as we know where Pardek lives?"

"The answer to that question lies in the severity of Markovitch's situation. If she is hiding, her situation does not become worse if we wait. The same is true if she is already dead. However, if she has been captured, her situation could deteriorate quickly. They will torture her for information, and once she has outlived her usefulness, they will execute her."

"Put that way, I don't see that we have a choice."

"Agreed."

"This all hinges on our figuring out where Pardek lives. Will you be able to watch your communicator without getting caught?"

"Yes. I am rarely disturbed in here, but if I hear someone coming, I can easily push it out of sight."

"Okay. Then I guess it's settled. We act as soon as we can."

They met each other's eyes once more in silent acknowledgment of the seriousness of their decision, and she left. He sat down to work on the accounts.

…..

Three days later, Spock slipped the communicator out of his pocket and was pleased by what he saw. Recently, Pardek had abandoned even the pretense of their encounters being accidental, for he had clearly been coming to the house for the explicit purpose of talking to Spock each day. And on each of the last three days, he had come from Bael and returned to Bael, and if he had not immediately gone to the same address each time, he had eventually found his way there. Spock was satisfied that they had located what they were seeking.

He left the study and walked through the house. The hallways were empty, as were the rooms he passed, so he headed toward the kitchen. When he stepped through the door, no one was there but the head cook, and having no wish to subject himself to a hostile comment, he ducked out of the room before she could see him. He headed toward the laundry instead, where he found Nalla standing at a high table.

"Greetings, Nalla," he said.

She took a towel out of the pile and put it on the table. "Hello, Tayok."

"I am searching for Ota. Do you know where she is?"

Folding the towel without watching what she was doing, she replied, "The last time I saw her she was going to the garden. Maybe you can find her there."

"Thank you."

He left the house, but when he reached the garden all he found was a large basket filled with vegetables. Finally, he spotted her at the back of the property, perched on the bottom rung of the fence. Both of her hands were on the top rail, and she was leaning over the fence in the direction of the fields with her skirt blowing gently in the breeze. He paused for a moment to appreciate the sight, and then walked in her direction.

"Isn't it beautiful out here?" she asked when she noticed that he was approaching.

"Indeed it is. The quadrotriticale will soon be ready for harvest, and the uniform golden color is pleasing to the eye."

"The air is so clear that I that I feel like I can see forever, and I love the scent of the ripe grain and the sound of the birds. When we first got here, I felt sorry for the people because of their primitive existence, but now I almost envy them. What I thought was primitive is actually simple, and there's a lot to be said for a simple life with simple pleasures."

"You sound like Captain Kirk reminiscing about his childhood."

"I do, don't I? Now I see what he meant. Of course, there's no comparison between the chores he had as a boy and the work here, but I can see why he loved it so much."

He stepped closer and rested his forearms on the fence, and they gazed out at the fields in silence until she took a heavy breath. "Okay, back to reality. I assume that Pardek must be gone, since you're out here."

"He left approximately fifty-three minutes ago."

"Did he go back to the same place?"

"He did. I am convinced that we have found his base of operations."

"Spock, don't you think it's odd that he's been spending so much time with you?"

"Yes, it does strike me as odd. It would appear that he suspects me, but if this is the case, he has received little useful information from me because our discussions have invariably been about politics and philosophy. I am almost inclined to believe that he comes here primarily because he enjoys it."

"He does like to talk."

"And I find that I have come to enjoy my discussions with him, as well. I have to remind myself that he is my adversary rather than my companion."

She grinned. "Who would have thought it possible? You and a Romulan senator – pals."

He raised an eyebrow at her colloquialism. "Regardless, it is time for us to investigate this mysterious location to which my 'pal' returns every day. Do you think that you can convince the head cook to take us with her the next time she goes to the market?"

"Yes, I believe so. I've tried to be nice to her, and I think that she's beginning to respond in kind." She laughed at the skeptical expression on his face. "And even if she's in a bad mood, she'll enjoy having someone with her so she can amuse herself by verbally abusing us."

"It is settled, then. We will accompany the cook into Bael as soon as you can arrange it."

She took another heavy breath and turned back toward the fields. "I'm going to miss this."

"We may very well find ourselves right back here."

"I know, but somehow I think that one way or another, this is going to be the end of our mission. I won't deny that I'm a little frightened about what might happen."

"You have every reason to be apprehensive." He put his hand on her shoulder. "But we are in this together, and we have every reason to believe that we will be successful."

She covered his hand with her own. "Yes, we are, and we do."

She climbed down from the fence, and he carried her basket of vegetables back to the house with her at his side.

**End chapter six**


	7. Chapter 7

**In Single Words, Chapter Seven**

"Don't be late," said the head cook. "It won't take me long to finish what I need to do in Bael."

"We'll meet you back here at the car," replied Uhura. "We won't keep you waiting."

Uhura watched the cook walk away in the opposite direction, then had to hurry to catch up with Spock, who already had the communicator in his hand and was changing the settings.

"She sure isn't giving us much time," she said. "Assuming we decide to return with her, do you it'll be enough?"

He showed her the communicator. "These are the coordinates from which your communicator has transmitted. I estimate that it will take us sixteen point four minutes to reach this location by foot. If we do not dawdle, we should have sufficient time for our investigation."

"Okay. No dawdling."

It was evidently market day in Bael, for the streets were filled with shoppers and vendors. She and Spock had to weave their way through the crowd, but finally they reached an area that was not so congested. They left the sidewalk and stayed in the shadow of the houses, moving quickly until he held out a hand to stop her.

"This is it," he said.

"Which one?"

"Directly across the street."

"How long did it take us?"

"Seventeen point two minutes. My estimate was inaccurate."

"Oh, well. You can't get it right every time." She grinned at his obvious annoyance.

"I see no sign of activity at his house," he said.

"I don't, either, but I still don't think that we can risk crossing the street here."

"Agreed. We will need to double back and approach his house from the other side of the street."

"I have to ask one more time – are we sure we want to do this? It's not too late to go back and wait for a better time."

"The probability that we will find a better time, assuming that by 'better time' we mean under cover of night, in the very near future, and with transport under our own control, is eleven point three percent. In addition, the probability that Markovitch was captured and is not hiding or already dead is sixty four point nine percent."

"Which is just a long way of saying that you think we should go now."

"Yes."

"I do, too." She pointed at the house next door to Pardek's. "His neighbor has a courtyard with a high hedge. Maybe we can get a closer look from there."

He nodded, so they retraced their steps until they were far enough away from his house, and then they crossed the street and moved close again. However, they barely had time to crouch behind the neighbor's wall before a ground car pulled up and stopped across the street, close to where they had just been standing. Could it be Pardek?

"I can't believe this!" she whispered. "Is that-"

He grasped her arm and pulled her close. "Do not move."

"Why?"

"Shhh."

She looked closer, and she saw that there were four men in the car. They made no move to get out. Spock motioned for her to move closer to the neighbor's house with him, so they scooted back until they were hidden by a bush.

"Up there," he whispered, pointing to the top of Pardek's house.

She looked up, and her eyes widened at the unmistakable outline of three men with phaser rifles. "Oh, no. It's an ambush! They were expecting us!"

They whipped around at the sound of concerted bootsteps, and she saw two men in uniform jogging down the street in their direction. It would be only moments before they were seen. She tensed, ready to run, but he put his hand on her arm to halt her.

"Stay still," he hissed. "They do not see us yet."

"But they're going to see us any second now!"

"Not if we provide a distraction." He pulled his phaser out of his tunic. "There are several empty lots down the street. I will overload my phaser and throw it there to draw their attention away from us."

"Use mine." He hesitated, so she added, "Pardek will recognize you, but he doesn't know me. You need to have your phaser in case he sees you."

He nodded curtly. "Very well."

The men were almost on top of them, and she had to will herself to stay put when the adrenaline coursing through her body told her to go, go, go. He changed the setting on her phaser, and as soon as it started to whine, he heaved it in the direction of the empty lots. Three seconds later, there was a huge explosion, and the men turned in that direction.

"Quick!" one of them yelled. "That way!"

The four men in the car got out and started running toward the park, as did the two already on foot. She and Spock waited until the men were a good distance down the street and then started to creep away in the shadows.

"There they are!" shouted one of the men on the roof.

"Spock, they see us!" she cried.

She and Spock burst from the bushes and started running for all they were worth in the opposite direction, and she didn't have to turn around to know that the other men had changed direction and were now in pursuit. She and Spock had a good lead, however, and if they could make it to the market, they might be able to get lost in the crowd.

They raced down the block and jumped a small hedge in order to cut across the corner of a yard, and as they picked up speed on the straight-away, she heard the pounding feet behind them grow quieter on the grass and then louder when they hit the pavement again, and she knew that the men had done the same. The men were still some distance back, but it was obvious that they were getting closer. A phaser burst went barely wide and sizzled across the ground just to her right, and when she and Spock cut sharply to their left, she felt heat from the next shot that would have surely hit her if they hadn't changed direction.

She was lagging a few steps behind Spock now, and as he dashed around another corner, he looked over his shoulder with concern. She waved him on. She could keep up, she knew she could keep up, even as her legs began to turn to rubber and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. She could see the market up ahead, and she got an extra burst of energy when she realized that they were going to make it.

Finally, they reached the crowd, and he grabbed her hand and towed her into a congested area. She stumbled to a stop.

He allowed her to catch her breath while he scanned the crowd. "I believe that we lost them," he said.

"Good," she gasped.

"Are you able to walk?"

She gulped a few more mouthfuls of air and nodded. "Yes."

She followed him through the crowd at a more leisurely pace, but she was still alert for their pursuers, and she knew that he was watching for them, too. She was so intent on looking back that she almost plowed right into him when he stopped abruptly.

The crowd parted to reveal two men with phaser rifles and the woman Spock had identified as the Romulan Commander from his past. Spock quickly stepped forward, and Uhura melted back into the crowd.

A shocked expression crossed the woman's face, but she recovered quickly. "So," she said. "Commander – or should I say Captain – Spock. We meet again."

Written in the set of his shoulders was the awareness that he had their only phaser, but when he tried to discreetly reach into his tunic for it, the two phaser rifles snapped up, and he was forced to raise his hands into the air. One of the men stepped forward and took the phaser from inside his tunic.

The woman smiled bitterly. "Do you think that you are the only person with the ability to track a communicator? I knew that the guilty party would run, and I knew that he would seek asylum in this crowd."

"Logical," he said.

"But I did not expect it to be you," she added.

Uhura felt someone brush past her, and she glanced over to see that it was Pardek. He stopped next to the Romulan woman.

"Senator, your instincts were good," the woman said. "This man is a Starfleet officer. He is quite a catch."

"I am pleased that I could be of service, Regent."

She motioned toward her men and turned away. "Bring him," she said. "We know how to deal with Federation spies."

One man slapped a restraint around Spock's wrists, and the other grabbed his arm and shoved him roughly toward a waiting vehicle. They loaded him into it before getting into a second vehicle with the regent, and all Uhura could do was watch the two vehicles drive away. She noticed that Pardek was doing the same.

The crowd lost interest and began to return to the business of buying and selling, so she pretended to look at the nearest vendor's wares. What would she do now? The vehicles had turned a corner, and she had no idea where they were going from there. They could be taking Spock anywhere. He'd had the one remaining communicator and the one remaining phaser, and now she had absolutely nothing. She felt her stomach clench up in a knot when she wondered how long it would take the regent to decide what to do with him.

Pardek finally moved away from where he had been standing, and she watched him from the corner of her eye. Speaking to a woman who happened to be nearby, he said, "Do you know what happens to Federation spies? They are put in a holding cell in the basement of the citadel. If they are fortunate, they are extradited to Romulus, but if they are unfortunate..." He shrugged. "No doubt his fate will soon be sealed."

Pardek walked away, so Uhura edged closer to the woman and said, "They're taking him to the citadel? Where's that? Uh, I'm new to the area."

The woman pointed north. "It's that way, on the edge of town where the Racton district meets the Tarnet district." She lowered her voice and moved close. "The wall around it is blood-green, and I've heard that it was painted that color as a reminder of what happens to anyone who dissents."

"That poor man," Uhura murmured.

The woman returned to her shopping, so Uhura frowned and crossed her arms. She knew where Spock had found the map of Bael, so if she went back to the house and got it, she should be able to find the citadel. It would certainly be fortified, so if she were to rescue Spock, she would need a weapon of some sort.

She gnawed on her lip for a moment, then came to a decision and headed toward her rendezvous with the cook. She knew what she would do.

…..

Spock stood at the front of the holding cell with only a force field between him and the regent. She had dismissed her men as soon as the cell was secure, and she had not said a word since then. Silence now stretched between them. He could not deny that it was an uncomfortable silence, but he was careful to project only patience.

She finally took a deep breath and said, "Over the years, I have devised a number of scenarios to address what I would do if I saw you again, but I did not expect it to happen. Yet here you are."

"I have thought of you, also, and wondered what became of you."

"So now you know," she said bitterly, spreading her arms to indicate her surroundings. "I was stripped of command and banished to this backwater planet because of you. Are you satisfied?"

"No, of course not. I had no wish to see your status diminished. I derive no satisfaction from this knowledge."

Ignoring him, she continued. "I, on the other hand, did have some awareness of what had become of you. You were promoted to captain soon after I accepted that I would never regain command and came here. One might think that your rise was tied in part to my fall. Perhaps you should thank me."

He remained silent, for he had no reply to that.

"I heard rumors of your death," she said.

The details surrounding the Genesis project were still classified, so all he could say was, "Obviously I am still alive."

"Obviously," she said drily. "I even heard that you resigned your commission and left Starfleet for a period of time. Why did you leave? Did Starfleet not live up to your lofty ideals? Or was the reverse true? I could only speculate on the reason, and now I find that I would like to know."

"It will provide you no tactical advantage."

"Is it outside the realm of possibility that I am simply curious, and I do not seek to benefit from the knowledge? It seems that you could at least grant me this."

Regarding her, he considered his options. He was unnerved by how closely she had followed him over the years. Not only did it reveal the fact that the Romulans possessed the ability to gather information at such a disturbing level of detail, but it was obvious that Romulan intelligence had been specifically interested in him. And clearly, she had sought out this information. Refusing to talk would only serve to anger her further. Drawing her into a long conversation, on the other hand, would stall for time, and it would be to his benefit to delay her decision about his fate. At any rate, he found that he wanted to talk to her. Despite his current situation and all that had happened in his life over the intervening years, he could not deny that he still felt a connection to her, albeit a connection that was wrapped with guilt and, yes, even a memory of the unsettling physical desire that he had experienced at the time.

"Very well," he said. "I will tell you, although you must understand that it is still rather difficult for me to discuss it. I had lived among humans for too many years, and the experience had caused me to be confused about who I was. I left Starfleet to undergo the training of a disciple of Gol. My intent was to eradicate emotion."

An honest expression of surprise came onto her face. "You?"

"I know that you thought me unfeeling, but I assure you that I was not. What happened between us was not simply an act, nor was the regret I expressed afterward."

"I am quite certain that your pain did not compare to mine."

"I do not mean to imply that it did. I have no doubt that I was the cause of great adversity in your life, and for that I am still sorry."

She lifted her chin proudly, signaling that she had no need for his apology. "It would appear that your attempt to rid yourself of emotion was unsuccessful."

"You are correct."

She made a small noise of disgust. "I find such an attempt foolish, yet I cannot help but think how much better off I would have been had I not allowed emotion to cloud my thinking when I met you."

"I hope that you have found some happiness in your life since then."

"How odd to be discussing happiness with you," she mused. "I will allow that my circumstances have improved somewhat. I have this post. Also, I have a mate, and I would not have met him if I had not been grounded, but he is always away on deep-space missions, so ironically I cannot be with him because I am grounded. Nevertheless, it is a good pairing, even if it is one that is rather without passion. But as a Vulcan, you would not know about passion."

"That is what most Vulcans would have you believe."

She smiled humorlessly. "You and I must have different definitions of passion."

"Perhaps passion is not the right word, then. But I do understand the reward of being intimate with someone."

"You speak as if you have someone like that now."

He hesitated. He wanted to prolong the discussion, but this was not something he would normally discuss with anyone but his closest friends. However, it was his fault that the conversation had taken the turn it had taken, so it was illogical to stop now. "I do," he said.

"Is she on Vulcan?"

Sidestepping the question, he said, "She is human."

"An Earth woman." She shook her head. "In one breath you tell me that you have attempted to eradicate emotion, but in the next you tell me that you are intimate with a human. You have always presented yourself as a Vulcan, yet we both know that there are few humanoid species in the universe more messily emotional than humans. So, Spock – which are you? Are you human or are you Vulcan?"

"I am both. I was raised as a Vulcan on Vulcan, and I have always identified with my Vulcan heritage, but in recent years I have been able to embrace certain facets of my human heritage."

"Such as the capacity to be intimate with someone."

"Yes."

"And not until well after you knew me."

"Yes."

He saw something close to regret cross her face, but then she narrowed her eyes and straightened.

"You are crafty," she said. "You have drawn out this conversation, just as you did when I caught you before. This time, however, I am alert to your subterfuge. And perhaps you also hope to soften me so I will be easy on you, but the only factor in how merciful I will be is how much information you provide. Why are you here?"

"I cannot say, other than to state that it has nothing to do with you."

"Does it not? You are not here for a material item, for I have nothing that Starfleet would covet. No, you are here to steal information, and because I am the trustee of information in this region, your presence is very directly tied to me. What are you after?" When he did not reply, she stepped closer. "Tell me! Why are you here? What is it you seek?"

"You must believe me when I say that my presence here has nothing to do with you."

"I must believe you?" Her incredulity was exaggerated. "Why must I believe you? Despite your apparent honesty today, it served your purpose to be honest, and I have no doubt that you would have been equally dishonest if that is what had served your purpose. It certainly served your purpose years ago. Tell me why you are here."

"I will not."

"Then tell me where I can find the second spy. The men who chased you said that there were two of you, but when I captured you, you were alone. The woman. Who is she? Where can I find her?"

"I cannot tell you that, either."

She shook her head, and he knew that the disappointment in her voice was real. "If I cannot pry the answers from you, I know someone who can. You will wish that you had cooperated with me, Spock."

As he took a deep breath and nodded acceptance of his fate, he wondered about that disappointment in her voice. Was she disappointed to have been unable to extract the truth from him, or was she disappointed to have to consign him to such an end? Or did her disappointment stem from something else altogether? Perhaps she was remembering, as he was, a similar time, except that then she was the imprisoned, and he was the imprisoning who had to walk away.

"I am sorry," she murmured.

"As am I," he replied.

She turned on her heel and left.

…..

Uhura jogged across Rilena's front lawn and ducked into the bushes beside the window. The cook had been in no hurry on the drive home, and it had taken longer than she had planned to find the map. Add to that the time it took to make it here undetected, and the shadows were already beginning to lengthen before she had even considered how she was going to get back to Bael. She would have loved to swipe the car, but if they'd caught her, it would have been disastrous. She had no doubt that it wouldn't take long for the regent to decide what to do with Spock, and every moment counted.

She held her breath as she worked her fingers under the window frame. Spock had left it unlocked when they'd left, but someone easily could have come along and locked it in the meantime. The window resisted for an agonizingly long moment, but finally it gave, and Uhura slid it upward with a grunt.

She climbed into the house and ran straight back to the display room. These weapons were all antiques, but she couldn't be choosy right now. She hurriedly inspected each case from top to bottom before going back to pull out an old phaser. It was big and heavy and hard to handle, but all that mattered was that it worked. She darted into the bedroom and peeked out the window, and when she saw someone start a piece of noisy machinery and steer it toward the field, she knew that this was her chance. Crossing her fingers in the hope that she wouldn't blow out the whole side of the house, she sighted on a footstool and squeezed the trigger.

A red light flashed from the end of the weapon, and the footstool began to smolder. Too strong. She dialed the phaser down a notch, and then she kicked the footstool into the bathroom and kicked it again into the shower, turning on the water before it was able to catch fire. She would have hated to burn down this beautiful house, but she would hated even more for someone to see the smoke and come inside and check it out. Now all they'd have to contend with would be the mystery of a soggy and slightly charred footstool.

As she headed back to the window, she saw another phaser in one of the cabinets. It didn't have a power pack so it wouldn't work, but it might be good just for show. She stuck it in her pocket, and as an afterthought she grabbed a knife in a scabbard and slipped it under her waistband.

Now, she needed to find a way to get the hell back to Bael.

Maybe she could get someone to give her a ride. Since it was likely that no one would understand if she stood by the side of the road and stuck out her thumb—come to think of it, that was a pretty insulting gesture on a couple of planets she knew—she'd have to settle for just looking pathetic.

She was out of the house and on the side of the main road in less than fifteen minutes.

…..

Spock lay on the bunk with his hands steepled over his chest. Extrapolating on the regent's threats, either he would be taken to someone who would attempt to elicit information from him, or that person would come here. Since neither had happened yet, he could only assume that she was giving him time to stew over his predicament.

Nyota had escaped detection this afternoon, which was good. He knew that she would attempt to extricate him from this prison, but he did not know how she would manage to do so. He had left her nothing in the way of tools, and gaining entry into this building would be risky, to say nothing of the difficulty she would encounter locating his cell and getting him out. It was possible that he would be presented with an opportunity for escape eventually, and it would be better if she did not try. Of course, he knew that the likelihood of her leaving him to his own devices was small.

He heard a whine and a thump, and he looked over to see that the guard was lying face-down on the floor. So. She had found a way, after all. As he expected, a moment later she peered around the doorway to see if she needed to dispatch anyone else.

"There was only the one guard," he said.

"Good! This phaser is an antique, and I've already had to use it three times. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it a fourth."

"Where did you find it?"

"At Rilena's. Remember her display cases?"

"Ah. Ingenious."

"Thanks." She walked to the control panel just on the outside of his cell, frowned, and pushed on it a couple of times. "There aren't any buttons on this thing. How do I turn off the forcefield?"

Raising an eyebrow, he said, "I have watched the guard operate it, and I believe that it involves biometrics."

Her shoulders sagged. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I am not kidding you."

"Well, shit." She turned toward the prostrate guard. "He controls it using his handprint?"

"Yes."

With a heavy sigh, she walked over to the guard and grabbed him under the shoulders, and clumsily began to drag him toward the cell. She stumbled a couple of times and stepped on his right hip once, but soon she had moved him close to the cell, turned him around, and propped his back against the wall. She took a moment to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Whew," she said. "Sorry, fella. You're going to be pretty unhappy with me when you wake up and find that footprint on your rear end. Okay, here goes."

Taking a deep breath, she put her arms around his chest and manhandled him to a standing position, and then turned him around again. Using her knee and hip to pin the lower part of his body against the wall, she grabbed his arm and tried to put his hand on the control pad. He was too limp, however, and every time she got his hand near the control pad, some part or another of him flopped and she missed. Spock was starting to become concerned over the red hue that was increasingly coloring her face.

Finally, the guard's hand landed on the control pad, and she let him drop to the floor with a thud. Spock left the cell and joined her.

"Do you think that I hurt him too much?" she asked.

Spock knelt and checked the man's pulse. "His heartbeat is strong and steady, and I do not believe that he struck his head at any point."

"Good. I feel oddly close to him now, and I'd hate to think that I'd caused him any harm." She held the phaser in Spock's direction. "Here. You take this."

"You should keep it. I left you without a phaser before, and I do not intend to do so again."

"Well, if you won't take this one, I have another." She reached into her pocket and handed it to him. "It doesn't work, but it might fool someone. I have a knife, too, if you want it."

"This will be adequate. You may keep the knife."

They left the room and edged down the hallway until they reached a branch.

"How did you find me?" he whispered.

"I just kept wandering around. I've been all over this basement. It's like a labyrinth."

"My route was direct, but we came through the main entrance. We cannot go that way now."

"I came in through what looked like a service door, and I think I can get us back there without too many wrong turns. We should go that way."

He nodded and followed her down the hallway she had indicated. The hour was growing quite late, and the further they went without encountering anyone, the more he began to believe that they would escape without incident.

They reached another branch, and she went to the left without hesitation. This hallway was darker than the last one, and it also appeared to be more crudely made. Leaning close, she said, "Some parts of this building look like they've been here for a long time."

"It stands to reason that this building is as old as some of the estates. Obviously, it has been modernized."

"I think so, too."

Just as they started down the new hallway, they heard a shout from behind.

Already breaking into a trot, she grabbed his arm and looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, no! They know you're gone!"

"Lead the way. I will follow you."

"But I don't think I can remember it that quickly!"

"We must take the chance. Now, run." She hesitated, so he added, "Run!"

She took one last wide-eyed look over her shoulder before starting to run in earnest. He could hear additional voices behind them, as well as the sound of hurried footsteps. They reached an intersection of hallways, and she paused just a moment before dashing to the left. They took another left turn, then a right, and came upon a dead end.

"Spock, I'm sorry!" she said. "I must have taken a wrong turn. It was happening too fast for me to think!"

The footsteps were drawing nearer, and he knew that they could not double back. There was a door to the side, and although it looked like it had not been used for years, he grasped the handle and pushed. It did not budge. He threw his weight against it, and it still did not give.

The footsteps were almost upon them, so he and Nyota moved shoulder-to-shoulder with their phasers drawn just as three guards came around the corner and stopped.

"Drop your weapons!" one of them yelled.

"Get back!" cried Nyota. "I don't want to hurt you!"

The guards continued to advance, and Spock saw from the corner of his eye that she had pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

"Crap!" she exclaimed.

She pulled the trigger again, and when there was still no response, she threw it at the guard in the middle. It hit the side of his head and glanced off, and he snarled and took a step closer. She pulled out the knife. Spock knew that it was obvious to everyone that his own phaser was useless, so he did not even pretend to threaten them with it. He threw it to the floor and crouched beside her in a defensive stance.

The guard in the middle glanced over his shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps, and a moment later the regent burst into the room. "Regent," he said with a smirk. "We have caught the second spy."

"So I see," she said coldly as she studied Nyota. "I am disappointed by the Federation's lack of creativity. I believe that this woman is human, and she has been surgically altered just as Captain Kirk was years ago."

Realizing his error in admitting that he was involved with a human woman, Spock kept his expression carefully neutral, but it was clear from the grim smile that spread across the regent's face that she had already detected his alarm.

"This is quite an interesting development, Spock, is it not?" she said. "You might not talk to save yourself, but we will see how noble you are when it is this woman's screams you must ignore." She motioned to her guards. "Take them to the interrogation room."

Just as the men started to advance, a sudden red glow enveloped them, and they fell to the floor. The regent whirled in surprise, but she was hit by a second burst of phaser fire and collapsed, as well.

Spock could only stand, astounded, when a figure in a hooded cloak stepped into view.

"Hurry," a feminine voice said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Never mind that. We must go quickly. Come with me."

He met Nyota's eyes and she shrugged, but the woman had already started creeping away so he and Nyota hurried to catch up with her. They moved silently until they reached a door that looked like it might crumble if anyone touched it. She pushed it open, and he saw that it was actually well maintained. It had only been made to appear that it was old and unused.

They stepped into the cool night air and halted.

"You put the monitoring device in the tree," he stated.

She pushed back her hood.

"Elena Markovitch," Nyota gasped. "We've been looking for you."

The woman shook her head. "Elena Markovitch is gone. I am Rilena."

"Starfleet is concerned," said Spock. Your mission has been compromised. You must return with us."

Calm and confident, she shook her head. "Elena learned what she could, and she passed it to the interested parties. Her mission is over. She no longer exists."

"Perhaps you feel that your mission is over, but ours is not," insisted Spock. "We-"

Nyota silenced him with a gentle glance. "Rilena," she said, "What happened? What changed?"

Markovitch smiled gently. "I fell in love with these people. Everyone in the Federation is frightened of them, but they are good people who love their families and try to do what's right. They do not want war. Now, come with me."

They walked through the dark alley until they came upon a vehicle. A dark figure stepped away from it, and Spock recognized Pardek. Nyota tensed as if to run or fight, but Spock put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Markovitch moved close to Pardek.

"Senator," said Spock.

"I hope that you will forgive me the deception," said Pardek. "I had to be certain that you were who I thought you were."

Spock felt Nyota relax under his hand. "How did you know?" she asked.

"At first, I did not. Many people were interested in Rilena, and I feared that Tayok... Ah, I assume that is not your real name."

Spock nodded. "Spock."

"Are you human?"

"Vulcan."

An expression of pleased surprise came across Pardek's face. "Remarkable," he murmured.

"I'm human," added Nyota. "My name is Nyota Uhura."

"Nyota Uhura. That is a lovely name. Spock, I feared that you were from the ministry or the military. There were many suspicions of a Federation spy. You could have been yet another agent trying to find her."

"So you used me to satisfy their suspicions once you realized that I was not a Romulan agent."

"I hope you understand that my friendship with you is genuine. I might have had ulterior motives at first, but I discovered that you and I have much in common. And now I learn that you are Vulcan. I have never met a Vulcan before. Perhaps we are long-lost distant cousins."

"It is possible," Spock conceded, "but that does not change our reason for being here."

Taking Pardek's hand, Markovitch addressed Spock and Nyota. "Please just go home and pretend that you didn't find me. This is where I belong now."

Pardek gazed at her with obvious affection before gesturing toward the ground car. "This vehicle is for you. I assume that you have a spacecraft or a rendezvous point. Take it there and leave it. It cannot be traced to either of us."

Spock frowned, so Nyota moved close. Putting her hand on his arm, she murmured, "Let's go, Spock. Elena Markovitch has fulfilled her mission. We can tell Starfleet that she comported herself with honor, but that she's gone now." He did not respond, so she squeezed his arm. "I think that you, of all people, should understand what it means to begin a new life among a new people. Let's allow her to live this new life she's chosen."

Finally, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Very well. Senator, you are an honorable man."

"I believe that we are kindred souls, Spock," replied Pardek. "You share my vision of peace, and you understand my desire to lighten the burden carried by those who are the most disadvantaged among my people. Education, justice, and the freedom to live a better life should not be privileges reserved for the powerful or the wealthy. I only wish that we had more time to talk, for I believe that I, and by extension my people, could learn much from our Vulcan cousins."

"Perhaps someday our paths will cross again, and we can explore these topics at that time."

Pardek nodded with satisfaction. "I would like that."

"As would I."

Nyota grasped Markovitch's hand. "Thank you so much for your help today. Both of you."

"It was our pleasure," said Markovitch, or rather Rilena, Spock corrected himself. "And thank you for letting Elena go," she added.

Spock raised his hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper."

"And the same to you, my friend," replied Pardek.

With that, Spock and Nyota both got in the car, and Spock started the engine. Soon they were on their way out of the city.

"Well," she said, "That didn't turn out at all like I thought it would."

"Indeed."

"Do you really think that we might see them again someday?"

"The odds are very much against it, but there is always a possibility. It would be interesting to discover, years from now, what sort of life they have made together."

"I'm so glad you decided to let her stay."

"It was only logical. Pardek is clearly a powerful agent of peace within his community, and she will add her voice to his. In the end, such a situation will benefit the Federation."

"Logical? Yeah right. You big softy."

He raised an eyebrow but did not reply.

"I hope that she's all right," continued Nyota. "She sounded certain about her decision and I backed her, but it's not going to be easy for her to give up all that she knows and make a life among the Romulans."

"Ah, but do not forget that she has her love for Pardek. It will be easier for her to live among people of a different world because she has someone by her side to make even the most difficult times bearable." He glanced over at her. "After all, as you said, I of all people should know."

She smiled. "I guess you should, at that."

They rode quietly until she sighed. "I guess it's about time to get my ears put back the way they were. It's too bad. I've enjoyed having them this way, and I know that you like them, too."

Taking his eyes off the road for only a moment, he reached over and tilted her chin up. "Actually, I prefer them round. I find them exotic."

"Really? That's what I've always thought about yours."

"Mine are actually quite ordinary."

She chuckled. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree about that. But I'm glad you like them the way God made them."

He thought ahead to what else awaited the two of them once they were back on the Enterprise. While en route, they would have to discuss the details of their mission so that they would tell the same story when they were debriefed. He was not sanguine about their need to be evasive—he refused to use the word "lie"—but he did find that he liked the idea of being back on the Enterprise soon.

Perhaps, someday, he would see Pardek again. He rather liked that idea, too. He and Pardek had forged a genuine friendship, and he looked forward to learning where it might take them in the future. It could only be good.

End story

The next story in this series is A Roll of the Dice.


End file.
